


What kind of sick **** turns a kid?

by kbegger



Category: K-pop, VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Character Turned Into Vampire, Gang Violence, Kid Han Sanghyuk | Hyuk, Minor Character Death, meantions of other kpop idols, vampire gangs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-10 08:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 36
Words: 93,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13498282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kbegger/pseuds/kbegger
Summary: Hyuk is eight years old. Hyuk wants to be Hulk for Halloween. He does not want to be a vampire.When he goes missing and then mysteriously turns up again Taekwoon, his neighbor, takes him in and navigates how to raise a vampire child with PTSD. Luckily the staff at Vixx, the only legal blood bar in the city, are there to give him some help. And free blood if he takes a job there. Being a feeder is not a career change he would have ever imagined.





	1. Storm

Taekwoon tried to dodge the small flailing child intercepting his path but Hyuk collided with him nonetheless. He fell on his butt and looked up at him. Suddenly another kid ran up to him and tagged him running away gleefully along with some other boys. "No fair Sungjae!" he protested.  
   
"Come on, you dork" Taekwoon said with a fond smile hauling the eight year old onto his feet by the back of his green coat.  
   
"Hi Taekwoon! What's for dinner tonight?" He asked with a mischievous smile.  
   
"That depends, where are your mom and dad?" He said expectantly. The boy looked shy like he had been caught. "Supposed to ask them first remember?"  
   
"But Dad is out with his friends and Mom is sleeping." Trying to show that he was being practical. It was sadly often that the boy was left to fend for himself. They weren't bad people, but the boy's parents were negligent. Neither had a stable job and they both had a penchant for drinking and partying, possibly drugs. That's where their shared interests ended. They fought quite a bit. They had been quite young when she got knocked up and their families forced their marriage. They were close to Taekwoon's age. The unstable home life meant Hyuk was often wandering over to his neighbor's house to con him into cooking for him or sleeping on his couch so he could get away from the turbulent bickering.  
   
Taekwoon didn't mind it though, Hyuk was a sweet kid. Taekwoon was Hyuk ’s favorite neighbor. He would let the boy help when he worked on his car and he was a good listener. Probably his only listener because Hyuk talked so much he had long since wore the other adults out. Hyuk also loved to listen to Taekwoon sing. He had a beautiful voice and sang the songs from the radio better than a lot of the original artist. Most meaningful to Hyuk was that Taekwoon trusted him. He never felt like he was being grilled by the police when talking to him. His friends’ parents made him feel uncomfortable. For starters they wouldn’t let him stay over on school nights without asking a lot of questions. And then often they insisted on calling his parents to make sure it was ok and Hyuk knew they probably wouldn’t answer, so he was sent home. But Taekwoon knew about his home life and didn’t ask too many questions.  
   
"I'm thinking lasagna. So, go kick Sungjae 's ass at tag and then come over in an hour or so." He said. The boy ran off to exact his revenge as commanded and Taekwoon headed up the stairs to their plain brick apartment building. The apartments were small and cheap, but he had treated his well enough. It didn't look junky compared to others in the same hall. He pulled the lasagna out of the freezer and slid it into the oven. Then made himself some tea and moved to stand by the window to watch the kids play tag. He liked moments like this. It was relaxing after a monotonous day at the office. All the kids running around were from their neighborhood. Hyuk had told him all about Jimin, Taehyung, and the twins Kwangmin and Youngmin, Sungjae and his older brothers, and Namjoo (who he was adamant was not his girlfriend). Hyuk was a pretty social kid and liked school (more so than home which he didn't talk about).  
   
As street lights came on all the kids bolted back to their homes. They lived in the wrong part of town to stay out past dusk. While most local vampires were civil enough there were drifters that gave the rest a bad name. Horror stories happened too often. Homeless people discovered drained to death, gang fights ending with people missing chunks of their necks, run-aways washing up on the ship yard docks pocked with rows of dotted scars. With realities like this there was no need to make up boogie men.  
   
"Any idea what you want to be for Halloween?" Taekwoon asked as he poured Hyuk some chocolate milk.  
   
"We're going to be the avengers. I'm going to be Hulk." The scrawny kid said sitting up proudly. “All I have to do is paint myself green and wear torn up shorts.”  
   
"Ah, I see, better eat that broccoli then so you can play the part." Hyuk rolled his eyes and obediently shanked some onto his fork but stared at it for a moment and made a yuck face before eating it. His expression softened to indifference though. For some reason when Taekwoon made vegetables they didn't taste as bad. His parents never cooked anything more challenging than a frozen pizza and school food was a mushy mess. With menu items like taco surprise you could judge how well funded the school district was.  
   
"How did you get so good at cooking?" Hyuk asked as he shoved more food into his face.  
   
"My older sisters and I all took turns cooking for the family. They taught me." He answered. “If they ever visit I’ll make them cook for you. Then you won’t want my cooking anymore.” Taekwoon said with a smirk.  
   
“If they visit would they dress you up like a girl like when you were little?” Hyuk asked gleefully.  
   
“I never should have told you that story.” Taekwoon said in halfhearted frustration.  
   
“I bet you would look like a real girl if you wore a dress.” The boy giggled.  
   
“Han Sanghyuk, you're a brat.” Taekwoon said giving him a soft swat on the side of his head.  
   
"I don't know if I would like having siblings. Sungjae has six brothers. His family is catholic and noisy and they tease each other all the time." Taekwoon was pretty sure Hyuk didn't know what being catholic had to do with a bigger family but the way he said it matter-of-factly made him smirk.  
   
"It's not so bad. You always have someone to play with whether you like it or not." He replied. "Another bite of broccoli please" He gestured with his fork and Hyuk complied without much thought. He could feel the air gently swish against his shins as Hyuk swung his feet while he ate. He could never sit still completely, maybe when he got older he would mellow out. With the way he was shoveling in food it wouldn't surprise Taekwoon if his recent growth spurt wasn’t done. The sensation made Taekwoon remember that Hyuk was in need of pants that covered his ankles now that the weather was getting colder. 

. . .

Torrents of rain had already soaked Taekwoon's work pants and gusts of wind were wearing on his spirit. If Hyuk crashed on his couch he was getting an electric blanket tonight. There was no trace of the neighborhood kids. The rain had driven everyone indoors where he desperately wanted to be, especially after a long day at the office. At least the bag he had shoved inside his coat would be dry. He had decided to get Hyuk pants. It was way overdue and he doubted his parents had made note of it. 

As he neared the alley next to their building he noticed something lying in the middle of the dirt. It was fabric and green. It was Hyuk's coat. If that boy was running around without a coat Taekwoon was going to chew him out. Especially for leaving it in the mud. He picked it up and nearly dropped it again. It was covered in garish blood. He frantically looked for the boy dropping the umbrella and bag, checking every nook and cranny in the alley. There was no sign of him and if there had been a blood trail it had long been washed away. He took the coat to his neighbor's parents. The color in Mr. Han's face drained at the sight. He called the cops and then his wife. The Taekwoon spent the evening going door to door in hopes that he had gotten away from the attackers and taken refuge somewhere close while Mr. Han "talked to" (fought with the cops). The cops gave it the old college try but didn't come up with anything. The two men finally met back at the Han household late that night. There was nothing to say. All he could do was pour the drunk a shot of the strongest liquor in their cabinets. After he downed a shot as well he went back to his apartment and spent the whole night and the rest of the next day googling reports of rouge vampire activity in the area hoping to piece together some kind of theory to the child's whereabouts. He prayed that they would find him. He didn't want to think about if it was even just his body. 

. . .

The next evening Taekwoon woke up to the sound of glass shattering and yelling. Mr. and Mrs. Han must have been arguing. But then he heard a child yelling. He stumbled over his furniture and out of his apartment to get to their front door. It was hanging open which led him to slow down. There were other voices too. Not friendly voices. And they were demanding their money. And their drugs. What had these idiots gotten into? He peeked around the door to see three men terrorizing the family. Hyuk was sobbing next to his mother who lay on the floor choking. Her jugular was still pumping out blood but it was slowing down. The most alarming part was that Hyuk 's mouth was covered in blood. He was crying blood. He had fangs. They hadn't killed him, they had turned him. They were vampires.

The intruders were now circling Mr. Han. One of the thugs was smashing their belongings and knickknacks with a baseball bat that had nails sticking out of the top end. Another told the first to stop making a mess and actually look for the drugs. This one seemed like the leader and was yelling at Mr. Han who yelled back that he had no idea his wife was doing/selling drugs.  


"I don't buy that." the leader sneered. "I don't give a shit that you hated each other. You can't miss it when someone is high as a kite on meth. It's quite the scene. Now last chance before I set junior on you. Where are my drugs?" 

Hyuk 's eyes were blood shot. Taekwoon didn't know if it was from feeding or cry. He whimpered and sobbed "Dad, please I don't want be this, please make this stop, please, please, please, I don't want to be a monster…I don't know what to do." He coughed in between sobs and a droplets of mucus-y blood escaped his mouth.

"I'm sorry Hyukkie, I don't know. I'm sorry buddy. I love you so much. I'm so sorry." He choked up and tears started streaming down his father's face. 

It was so subtle the vampire thugs didn't notice but Mr. Han tilted his head towards the bottom end of the couch close to where Hyuk sat and then signaled to the floor next to himself. Hyuk understood what his father wanted. There was something under there, probably taped to the bottom. It was common practice in their house to try to hide things that way. If they tipped over all the furniture they would probably find their drugs. But when Hyuk reached under his hand met the frigid cold steel of a gun. He slid it quickly to his father who picked it up and shot the leader in close range, in the head. He clipped the one with the bat before the third got to him and tore into him. Taekwoon took the opening the distraction made and soccer kicked Thug #1 head in a way that cracked his neck with finality. He grabbed Hyuk, Mr. Han was too far gone to help him, and ran. He wouldn't be any match against a fully functioning vampire. They bolted into his apartment locking everything. He kept his eyes on the peephole and saw a team of police charging up the stairs and shouting at the last vampire. He must not have been very compliant because moments later Taekwoon heard more gun shots. Hyuk was clinging to his waist the whole time too afraid to make any noise. 

He disentangled himself from the boy whispering that he'd be right back as it sounded like it was over and the police were calmly discussing the crime scene. Taekwoon tried to slip out the door but one of the policemen pushed him back in and said briskly "Sir, stay in your apartment. This is an active crime scene, nobody is coming or going." He even shut the door in Taekwoon's face. He and the boy looked at each other and shrugged. Hyuk breathed out shakily. He was still crying but he was calmer. He just seemed blank. The shock from seeing his parents murdered took hold of him. Taekwoon grabbed a washcloth and started trying to get layer of mucus-y blood off the boy's face. Once cleaned up and the bloody clothes stashed in the garbage, Hyuk curled up with Taekwoon on the couch and then drifted off. He was drowsy from the sated feeling his body felt and too stunned to feel anything more complex. 

Taekwoon on the other hand was wide awake and keyed up. His hands trembled from the residual adrenaline as he tried to smooth back Hyuk 's hair. He listened to the clamor in the hallway. He counted, five times he heard a gurney with a horribly squeaky wheel roll back and forth down the hall. The police apparently thought the case was so cut and dry they didn't need to investigate or take statements. They never knocked on his door. If he were to guess they were probably too lazy to look for Hyuk as well since no one would be going down to the police station to prod them into action. If Taekwoon did take him to the police the traumatized kid would have to go through the hell of waiting for relatives to show up, get put in the foster system or since he was turned would they do something worse? He had never heard of something like this happening let alone how the state would handle it. 

He was livid. What kind of sick fuck turns a child into a vampire?

Hopefully the kind that had died tonight.

. . .


	2. The Right Direction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested here is another chapter. I'm not entirely sure where this story will wind up going. If you have any votes on what you might want to see, leave it in the comments.

Why is it that you see them all the time but when you need a vampire you can never find one. Taekwoon needed to know what a new vampire needed. Blood. That's about as much as he knew. As the morning had approached he hastily light proofed his bed room and stuffed Hyuk in the protective space before going to work. He had used his last sick day yesterday.   
   
Yixing set a cup of coffee in front of him on his desk. "Are you ok? You look like hell." Taekwoon felt like hell. He barely slept and now he had a scared orphan with blood lust hiding in his apartment.   
   
Ignoring the question he asked his coworker "What do new vampires need? I mean, sure, blood but how much? And what else do they need?" Yixing gave him a horrified look. His voice sounded tight when he replied. "Why?...I mean I don't know, but why do you ask? You aren't….you don't look…like a vamp-"  
   
"No, no, no, not me!" Taekwoon quickly reassured him. "A friend survived a nasty attack but he somehow got turned. I want to help but I don't really know what to do."   
   
"You have friends?" Yixing joked trying to lighten the mood, but all Taekwoon did was glare.   
   
"I'm serious. Are you going to brainstorm with me or not?"  
   
"Aren't there programs or something for this?" Yixing said slowly and thoughtfully "If he went to the hospital they could probably point him in the right direction. I have no idea if they prescribe blood or if you can buy it. Sorry, that's all I got." Yixing said with a shrug. He rubbed Taekwoon's shoulders before leaving the grumpy and pensive office mate to his own devices. It wasn't the best of work practices but Taekwoon was desperate and since his boss couldn't see his computer screen he spent the day on google trying to find where he could get blood and what special care Hyuk needed.   
   
There weren't any vendors that sold blood on the internet. All the basic sites said to take Hyuk to the hospital but didn't give specifics after that, just saying hospitals had programs for supporting those who were turned against their will. Taekwoon was reluctant to under the circumstances behind Mr. and Mrs. Han's death. It would have been fine if Hyuk was a decent actor but the kid had a big mouth and probably couldn't stand up under close scrutiny. He knew Hyuk would blame himself. He had no grounds for taking the blame for his father but his mother, well, technically it was something they would unmercifully lock him up for. The cops were always on the prowl to round up killers, looking for examples to scare the vampire community. They probably didn't have vampire units in juvey though. Would they throw him in an adult unit? The thought made his chest feel tight.   
   
. . .   
   
It was dusk when Taekwoon came home. Hyuk lazily came out of Taekwoon's room to greet him. He must have slept all day and had the bed head to match. The sight made Taekwoon chuckle a little. It was endearing. "How did you sleep?"  
   
"Fine, but now I'm hungry. I tried eating cereal but I threw up. I could do water though. But I'm hungry. Like not in the solid sense but something more than water. Something…?" He said he said waving his hands not coming up with a word that would fit. "Blood?" Taekwoon finished for him. Hyuk looked away, ashamed. It was the correct answer but not one he liked. "I got you" Taekwoon said. He opened one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a knife that was probably his sharpest. He sat down at the kitchen table and called Hyuk over.   
   
But upon connecting the dots on Taekwoon 's plan he backed away shaking his head. "I can't… Taekwoon, I can't." Small beads of tears started sliding down his face. He was scared he wouldn't be able to stop just as he hadn't been able to stop on his mom until she was gone. The older tapped the knife on the table as he thought trying to figure out how to reassure the boy that he would make sure he didn't overdo it but he had no way to do so. For all he knew Hyuk could throw him to the floor just from having an arm wrestling contest. He abandoned the knife in favor of getting a washcloth for Hyuk 's tears. He may as well just get towels that would be the color of dried blood at this rate. "It's ok, Hyukkie. It won't hurt me to lose a little blood." Hyuk wouldn't let him close though. "Here" he tossed him the wash cloth then an idea occurred to him.   
   
He took a cup from the cupboard and the knife and locked himself in the bathroom. Hopefully Hyuk couldn't Hulk out and bust down the door once the metallic scent reached him. It hurt to slice his arm open but he was determined. The blood seeped into the cup. When it was almost full he carefully he bandaged himself up and then set the cup just outside the door and then locked it again. "Let me know when I can come out!" Taekwoon called from behind door. He heard Hyuk pad over and greedily gulp down the contents. With hesitation Hyuk asked "Can I have some more? I mean only if you can handle it." Taekwoon opened the door with a gentle smile taking the cup and repeating the process. Hyuk asked him for one more after but Taekwoon could only fill it half way before feeling too light headed. Seeing it was just half Hyuk knew it was time to stop but he was still hungry. He didn't want to tell Taekwoon though. Taekwoon collapsed on the couch and asked for orange juice. They were out but the fridge next door had some. They would have to break into a crime scene to get it. At Hyuk's mention of this the boy shut down. It was a place he never wanted to be again. "I'll be right back" Taekwoon said taking a moment to ruffle his new charge's hair.   
   
He had a spare key from the last time they had gone to visit family and they had an ancient parrot to feed that had since passed. He grabbed the orange juice with sweater paws and packed some of Hyuk 's clothes, tooth brush, favorite toys and video games in a large trash bag and took the haul back to their apartment. Hyuk sat huddled on the floor leaning against the couch. He sightlessly stared at his hands. Taekwoon waved the boy's DS in his face to get his attention and his face lite up. "Anything else you want?" He asked.   
   
"The games that go with it." Hyuk said with a sly smile. Taekwoon set the garbage bag next to him which the younger proceeded to rifle through. He pulled out items and smiled. These were familiar things untainted by memories and brought him comfort. "How about my Legos?" Taekwoon rolled his eyes with a smile and broke in again and filled a grocery bag with all the Legos he had and any completed works he had sitting out. He decided when Hyuk was older he might like to have some keep sakes from his parents. He picked up a few pictures from broken frames, a necklace from his mom's dresser that could be gender neutral, some of Hyuk's favorites from her anime collection, her cute duck plushie, a signed baseball from his father's dresser, his pocket knife, a few of his baseball hats and a few t-shirts that he had seen him wear a lot. Maybe Hyuk would grow into them. He halted. Would Hyuk grow up? Was he trapped? He really needed to find answers.   
   
. . .   
   
"I didn't think you could look any worse but damn." Yixing said and he set the whole coffee pot on Taekwoon's desk. "Please tell me that this guy has a support system that isn't just you."  
   
Taekwoon shook his head too quickly and regretted it. He was so light headed it made him nauseous. Kyungsoo peaked over the cubicle wall and added "With how pale you look it makes me want to use you as a coloring book" He said with a sympathetic smirk.   
   
"Either of you willing to volunteer some blood? You don't even have to get bitten. I'll just take it home in my water bottle. It holds two pints so one from each of you would fill it." He wasn't recovering fast enough to keep Hyuk full. The poor boy was getting restless and would randomly leave Taekwoon's side when he felt hunger pangs. Taekwoon was doing his best to recover but he had given as much as he could over the past week. "Fine, I'll do it, but just this once. Let Yixing fill that thing today and I'll do it tomorrow. But don't expect us to do this all the time. If we start looking like you I'm putting a stop to it. So you better figure out a solution soon." Kyungsoo said ducking back to his chair.  
   
Yixing smiled "Do you have a knife?"   
   
His co-workers were both so kind, even if Kyungsoo felt the need to cover it up with a threat. He needed to come up with something soon so that he wouldn't abuse that kindness. Kyungsoo 's head popped back over the wall "Just realized its Friday. How long can our vampire friend go without?"   
   
"With a full water bottle he can probably make it over the weekend if that's what you're wondering."   
   
"Well that and the company Halloween party. Would I be ok to drink tonight? Does that matter?"  
   
"Ah shit, I forgot about that."  
   
"I don't think you will last very long since you're half empty." Kyungsoo teased.   
   
"I looked it up. I'm at 70%, give or take a few ounces." Taekwoon informed them. "So I do have to tap out on being a blood donor because I'll get sick otherwise. But I can probably handle one beer."   
   
"You look worse than 70%." Yixing said. "You don't have to go."  
   
"Yes he does, one beer and he'll be so drunk he'll lead karaoke for us. And we're not even going to a karaoke bar."   
   
"I haven't gone out with you guys in a while so I want to hang out for a little bit. But about the karaoke thing maybe I'll just get something non-alcoholic." Taekwoon said with a shy smile. Not that he would mind doing it again if he didn't think they'd get kicked out. You'd think they would learn and just go to the right kind of places he thought to himself, trying to suppress a smile at the thought. Thankfully Yixing hadn't seen it as he followed him to the break room in search of a knife.   
   
It was a relief that Halloween would actually be the beginning of next week so he didn't have to worry about Hyuk attempting to trick or treat alone. He wasn't sure if the boy would even want to go. Maybe after getting a drink of Kyungsoo 's blood they could try going out. It would be good for him. He was starting to go a little stir crazy. They just needed to go to a different neighborhood though because it would freak out the people in theirs to see him given last week's events.   
   
He felt bad for having to leave Hyuk alone during the day but he had behaved well. An extra hour probably wouldn't hurt too much. He had taken Mr. Han's cell which had been attached to the charger at the time and given it to Hyuk so he could call if anything went wrong. He would just text Hyuk about tonight so that he didn't worry.   
   
. . .  
   
Taekwoon checked in with Hyuk to see how he was doing and got one word answers. Hyuk was still learning the in's and out 's of spelling so that didn't surprise him. Maybe he should get him some books and try to tutor his new dependent.   
   
He approached the bar's counter to pick up drinks for his co-workers. He decided to people watch while he waited for the bar tender to make his order. Everything seemed pretty ordinary but at the end of the bar was a woman in probably the brightest red dress he had ever seen and lipstick that matched. The low cut neck line was sexy and attracting a lot of attention. Finally one brave, heavily muscled guy, a dock worker judging by the uniform, approached her and handed her a drink. He couldn't hear what was said but he did catch sight of something unexpected. Fangs. Oddly no one else seemed to notice, especially not the idiot leaving with her. Taekwoon flagged down the bar tender and pointed out their table and apologized for not taking the order over. He then chased the couple who had headed for the alley. When Taekwoon finally caught up the vampire was cleaning herself up after her meal. The guy was dead but Taekwoon steeled himself and spoke.  
   
"Um, Ma'am? You missed a spot." Pointing to the correspond location on his own cheek. Her attention snapped to him and made him feel weak in the knees.   
   
"Do you want to be dessert? Most humans run when they see this kind of thing you know." She asked with a sneer.  
   
"No, I just figured blood on your face would get you caught." Taekwoon tried to say levelly. "Look I have a question and then I'll leave you alone and I'll pretend I saw none of this. Please?"  
   
She huffed but didn't move so he took it as permission to proceed. "I have a friend that was recently turned into a vampire but his maker was killed soon after so we're a little in the dark. He doesn't want to kill but I obviously don't really have much more blood to give him. Where do I get more for him?   
   
She shifted on her feet pensive and suspicious but decided to go with it. The man in front of her looked like he would keel over any moment and sounded too ignorant to be a hunter. She felt a little bit sympathetic about losing a maker. "I don't usually go to them because I like the thrill of the fight guys like this put up. But there are blood bars around here you can take him to where they can get him taken care of. Most of them are off the radar. There is only one that has passed an inspection to get its legalized status. It's called Vixx on East Main and 13th but they charge quite the premium since they are legal. There's another on Pacifica boulevard just a little ways past the west docks if your friend is ok with prostitution. Same with the one on 3rd and Front Street. They are affordable. There are cheaper ones but they're ok with killing since they can always smuggle in another round of illegal aliens. Is that what you wanted to know?"  
   
"Yes" Taekwoon sighed with relief. "Um, one more question?" He asked sheepishly. She looked annoyed but wave her hand to indicate to get on with it.   
   
"My friend still looks really young, will he ever grow to look fully adult?"  
   
"Uh…no idea, I've never come across any vampires still in puberty. Um, well good luck, I hear sirens so we should get going. Unless you want to take this heat for this to impress the cops with bringing down this bulldozer of a guy."  
   
Taekwoon still felt pained to only get a drop of knowledge when he wanted a waterfall.   
   
. . .


	3. Scare

Hyuk stared at the text on his dad's phone. It was a hard decision to make. He knew Taekwoon would worry if he wasn't home before him, but he was so restless.

Hyuk had slowly tested how much sun he could take and found that he was fine as long as the sun was below the horizon. It was still really bright though. He had been watching the other kids when they were outside around dusk since then. Tonight his friends had been kicking around a soccer ball. He noticed that Sungjae just sat off to the side watching, but not very attentively. It hurt Hyuk's heart to see his best friend so melancholy. He wanted to run out and give him a hug and nicely make fun of him. It was dangerous for others to know that he was still alive. Alive wasn't the right word. He knew that the world wouldn't react well to him, but his best friend? He would be happy to see him right?

So as night fell Hyuk climbed the fire escape stairs to Sungjae's apartment. He snaked under the first window which belonged to the four oldest boys of the family to the room the younger three boys shared. Ilhoon, the second youngest, and Peniel, the third youngest were reading comic books but Sungjae was just looking out the window blankly. Hyuk waved to catch his eye, which went wide as his friend shoved the window open. "Ghost!" He blurted out smiling. The other two dropped their comic books and joined the youngest at the window sill. "Hyuk?" Ilhoon breathed, not believing his eyes. Hyuk shushed them and tried to climb in but found himself stuck. "What's wrong?" Sungjae asked as the smile on his face fell away. It felt like his was trying to walk up a really slippery plastic slide. Maybe that's what an invisible barrier felt like. The boys just stared for a while and Hyuk fidgeted under their scrutiny. "Guys? Um…I um…" The expression on his face had exposed his teeth and it finally dawned on them that Sungjae's ghost joke was uncomfortably close to the truth. Hyuk turned to leave not able to fully process what was happening, why he couldn't just walk in like he used to? 

"Wait! Wait! I'll come out!" Sungjae called, knowing his brothers would never let him invite his friend in. 

"Are you crazy?" Hissed Ilhoon. 

"Wasn't this already considered a fact?" Sungjae asked with a serious face as he clambered out to the fire escape. 

"You aren't going to go all shark week on him, are you?" Ilhoon asked, at least trying to be a little protective of their youngest. "If you die can I have your stuff?" Peniel interjected. 

"Shut up, and don't you dare rat me out." Sungjae said exasperated. 

"You aren't right?" Ilhoon persisted. 

"I don't think so. I've been getting better about it." Hyuk said looking away sadly. Sungjae hugged him and glared at Ilhoon. "Leave him alone" He hissed. 

"No, it's ok. I would ask the same." Hyuk said with a sad smile. 

"Let's go up to the roof!" Sungjae said brightly. 

"Do you guys want to come?" Hyuk offered. 

"Pass. Someone's got to cover for you and its cold out." Ilhoon said meandering back to his comic book. Peniel winced and nodded in agreement with Ilhoon. "Me too. But I'm glad you're ok." he replied. 

"Thanks guys." Sungjae murmured gratefully before the two scaled the rest of the steps. When they reached the top Sungjae pulled him into a hug and cried into his friends shoulder, relieved but mourning the awfulness of Hyuk's circumstances. "I thought you were dead." He whispered. "There was a police officer at school asking everyone about you. Is it true? About your parents being…you know…by the vamps?" Hyuk buried his head in Sungjae's shoulder and nodded. "God this sucks. Are you ok?"

"As ok as I can be I guess." Hyuk whispered. "I'm not dead-dead right?"

"Small victories." Sungjae said with an awkward and approval seeking smile which Hyuk returned. "Where have you been?" Sungjae asked.

"I had to go into hiding because of…well…this." He said pointing to his recently extended canines. 

"Dude, let me see!" Sungjae said excitedly, trying to pull at Hyuks face to see his new smile. "How does it feel?"

"Like my mouth is always full." It made the other boy laugh.

"Did you get super powers?"

"I'm really strong and fast. And I can see in the dark. Nothing really feels dark anymore."

"Wow!" Sungjae drew out, impressed. "Have you been fighting crime or something?"

"No I've been hiding with….I've been hiding." He didn't want to rat out Taekwoon. It might make things difficult if his friend let it slip. "I don't want to get taken away. The gang could come back or I could get hauled off by the police and turned into an experiment."

"oh, I see. Not good." Sungjae said scrunching up his face. Hyuk mirrored the face which made them laugh. 

"We should go see Namjoo. She's really missed you too." Hyuk looked hesitant but agreed. He should still be able to tell when Taekwoon was coming home. 

They played like they were spies avoiding being seen as they made their way down the street. They almost never played outside at night and it made Hyuk feel a lightness and freshness he hadn't felt since the whole ordeal had happened. They shuffled up under Namjoo 's window and threw some gravel to get her attention. She came to the window and they waved. She threw the window open and launched herself out. She stumbled as she landed and Hyuk steadied her so she didn't fall on her face. "Hyukkie!" she gasped and threw her arms around him, eyes watering. "Am I dreaming?" She murmured. 

"No" Sungjae answered for him. He couldn't stop smiling and sniffling. "It’s the real deal. Just be careful of the fangs."

"Fangs?" She asked holding him at arm's length and turning him to the light to see better. She shuddered and stepped back. "Hyukkie? What happened?" She asked shakily. 

He looked self-conscious at the dropping change in her reaction to him. Sungjae looked at him pleadingly wanting to know the same thing. "Well my parents got mixed up with the wrong people. Some vampire gangsters. I guess my mom owed them and they turned me to punish her and to try to force her to give them what they wanted. She couldn't and they…." He trailed off as watery blood slowly rolled down his cheek. He looked lost and just stared at the grass even after Namjoo went back to holding him and rubbing circles in his back. Sungjae came around to do the same to his shoulders. He was so grateful for them and hoped one day he could show it somehow. He felt bad just breaking down on them like this. He used his sleeves to build up his composure and said "Last one to the tree is a rotten egg." The other two raced and it didn't feel like Hyuk had to take many steps to bound past them and swing up to a branch to watch them. Namjoo stopped and scowled "Not fair. You have super powers." 

Hyuk grinned an evil smile. "What else am I supposed to use my super powers for?" 

"Crime fighting, dummy" Sungjae said heaving himself up to the first branch. 

"Yeah!" Namjoo echoed. "You could go beat up all the gangs!" 

"I don't want to be around that. I still have random freak outs that the gang might find me." He said to dislodge the idea. "Besides, the adult vampires were stronger than me."

"Are there other kid vampires?" She asked hanging from the branch Sungjae just left. 

"I don't think so…I hope not. Sure, I have superpowers but there is a bunch of other stuff that sucks."

"Like what?" Sungjae asked with a perplexed expression.

"Like no sunlight. I can't go to school or else I'll get discovered. My body is weird. I can smell everything."

"What do I smell like?" Sungjae asked with a giggle. 

"Like feet" Namjoo teased hitting his foot. Hyuk laughed and confirmed it. 

"Come on, my feet don't smell that bad." 

"What do you want me to say? That they smell like blue berries or flowers or something?" 

"Well…yeah." Both of the other children rolled their eyes. 

"I don't stink, do I?" Namjoo asked self-consciously. 

"No, you smell like oranges." He reassured her. Her face lit up and she blushed a little. "Thanks" She murmured sheepishly. She tried to reach for the next branch but wasn't able to fully grasp it before she lost her balance falling with a yelp. The distance to the ground wasn't very far and she landed on her feet before falling forward. Hyuk dropped next to her and Sungjae wriggled his way down to join them. 

"You ok?" Hyuk asked. He already knew she was fine, just stunned. She wasn't very hurt. She had skinned her knee on a protruding root. He trembled and looked away as the blood lightly oozed past the broken skin. 

"Ouchie, ouchie, ouchie" She hissed tilting herself to the light to assess the damage. Sungjae reached the ground and inspected her. "Nothing broken right?" He asked. She shook her. "Hyuk?" She asked noticing he was backing away. His friends looked at him with concern. He was tightly shutting his eyes and his lips alternated between a curl and pressing flat. Then he stepped forward. He opened his eyes and swayed at the tempting wound before him. Before either kid could say or do anything he had pounced on her leg and lapped at the blood. He bit her a little to speed up the blood flow forgetting anything besides his meal existed. He only vaguely heard Namjoo cry out and only vaguely felt Sungjae kick him as hard as he could in the ribs. It was small but enough to remember. Hyuk looked up at them with wide eyes as Sungjae stared back at him in horror and Namjoo curled in a ball sobbing. 

"I'm…I'm s-s-sorry." He stuttered out before sprinting home to hide. 

. . .

Taekwoon felt like something was off when he got home. It was quiet, too quiet. "Hyuk" he called out. He heard the boy scamper to the bathroom then heard the door shut and lock. "Hyukkie? What's wrong?" He asked through the door. "Are you mad at me for going out? I've got something for you from one of my friends though." He was met with silence, then some water running, silence and then finally the door cracked open. Before he opened it he saw blood in the sink. "Bud, what's going on?" He asked slowly opening to door. Upon seeing his care taker Hyuk started crying again. The blood was from tears. Taekwoon came to kneel in front of him on the bathroom rug and cupped his face in both hands. "Hyukkie?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to see my friends and you were gone so I snuck out and, and, and" His sentence dissolved into sobs. 

"Buddy did someone get hurt?" He asked slowly, trying to stay calm. Hyuk nodded and Taekwoon continued at the same pace. "Ok. How hurt are we talking?" He had to know. 

"I bit Namjoo." He sobbed out. 

"And did you…" He trailed off not knowing how to phrase his question.

"I don't know. I don't think so. I didn't bite hard. I didn't take much blood." He gasped and choked out the words between the shuddering sobs. The amount of emotion from Hyuk was overwhelming and it made Taekwoon's heart hurt for the boy.

"Was there anyone there to help her?" He asked. 

"Sungjae was there too."

"Ok. It's going to be alright. Sungjae is a good friend. He'll take care of her." He hugged the boy continued rubbing his back until his sobs were less violent. After a little while he peeled back from the boy and asked "Can you tell me what happened?" He needed more details. The situation was bad and he needed to know what measure he needed to take.

"Well, you didn't say I couldn't go out and you were out so I thought I would go get Sungjae and let him know I was ok. -ish. Ok-ish. And he snuck out with me and we snuck Namjoo out too and climbed around in the tree in her backyard. We were climbing and she slipped and scrapped her knee and…I…couldn't…I. I drank from her. I don't think I took a lot but she was scared and screamed and I ran." 

"I see, well it's over now. You're safe here. 

"You're not mad?"

"No buddy, I'm not mad. Just worried. I wasn't sure what was going on and it scared me. You gotta talk to me." He said holding the boy closer again. He couldn't find it in himself to be mad. Hyuk just wanted to be a kid. He was so isolated and lonely because of what he had been turned into. 

"I'm sorry."

"Shu,shu,shu don't worry." He hushed petting the trembling boy's hair. "Do you want me to go see if Sungjae is back upstairs?" Hyuk nodded and Taekwoon quietly scaled the fire escape up two stories. He tapped on the window to the younger boys' room. Ilhoon came and opened the window. He had a squirt gun aimed at Taekwoon and he instinctively put his hands up, but he still got sprayed in the face. It was probably holy water they stole from church. He tried to put a calm expression on his face as he greeted the boy. "Hi Ilhoon, Its just me, just Taekwoon. I'm not a vampire. I just want to know if Sungjae made it home and if he could tell me if Namjoo is ok" Judging by his parents' muffled yelling he was home. "Yeah, he's fine. Stupid but fine. Same with Namjoo. They took her to go get stitches." 

"I see, will you tell him that Hyuk feels terrible about it and that he's still working on that whole thirst thing? It might be safer for now if you guys just talked on the phone or texted. Here is his phone number. I don't know what Sungjae thinks of him right now but I think Hyuk would really like to say sorry to him and Namjoo. Can you tell him that?"

"I will" Peniel called appearing at the window and taking the note. 

"Is Hyukkie ok?" He asked. 

"I think in time he will be. Would you guys do me a huge favor and not tell anyone about Hyuk? I don't want the police coming to take him away or that vampire gang coming back for him."

"Me neither, we'll keep quiet." Peniel said holding out his pinky for a pinky promise. Taekwoon gladly took it. Then Peniel hit his brother on the arm and Ilhoon promised too. 

. . .


	4. Nightmares

Hyuk gulped down Yixing's gift desperately then hunkered down next to Taekwoon on the couch. "I should have waited until you were home." he said despondently. "I probably wouldn't have lost control if I had this first."  
   
"You'll get more controlled in time." Taekwoon assured him and rubbed the boys shoulder.   
   
"Ugg, It's taking forever."  
   
"It's only been a week and a half."  
   
"I know, but feeling hungry all the time makes me worry that I'll do something bad. What if…"  
   
"What if?" Taekwoon prompted wary of Hyuk's anxiety level.   
   
"…my friends are all grown up by the time I do get it under control? Will they wait for me? Will they even still like me? Taekwoon what if I d-"  
   
"I met a vampire who told me about a place we can try. They might be able to give us answers." Taekwoon said quickly cutting off the child's question to keep him from wandering down the rabbit hole of despair. "Don't assume anything just yet. Let's hope for the best. I've been meaning to try this optimism thing." Taekwoon didn't really feel up to optimism but he needed to try for Hyuk's sake. He felt like he needed to be more proactive about looking after Hyuk's vulnerable mental state.  
   
"Optimism?" Hyuk echoed questioningly.   
   
"You know, hoping for good things and staying positive. Good things happen all the time. Why not for us too? Maybe things will be more normal than you think." Taekwoon said.   
   
"Bad things happen all the time too."  
   
"They can't happen every time though. Or else we wouldn't know about what's good."   
   
"Mm" Hyuk pouted laying his head on Taekwoon's thigh.   
   
"Should we think about what good things we want?" He asked.  
   
"I don't know what I want." Hyuk murmured grumpily.  
   
"Well how about Halloween? Do you want to go trick or treating? I have another friend who will give us more blood on Monday." There was a drawn out pause as Taekwoon waited for Hyuk's reaction.  
   
"If Sungjae isn't mad at me I could trade him my Hulk idea for his Iron man costume." He said tentatively trying out Taekwoon's optimism thing.   
   
"Yeah, that could work." Taekwoon encouraged then added. "Since candy isn't really something you can digest you could try trading for gum. That way you won't get sick."  
   
Hyuk didn't want to tell Taekwoon about the version of chewing gum he had been using lately. It was hidden away in a nest he had made in Taekwoon's bedroom closet where he went when his hunger pangs were hard to conquer. There he would ride them out by playing on his DS and chew on some of the coins from Taekwoon's spare change jar. His teeth ached for solidness and the metallic taste took the edge off. There were several smooshed up pieces of metal he hid in his nest. He didn't want to scare Taekwoon with his hidden jaw strength. He had chewed on a piece before going to see his friends and it hadn't been enough when he needed it. He wanted to get away from the subject.   
   
"It's too bad they don't make chocolate gum though." Hyuk lamented nonchalantly. Taekwoon added it to his mental list of things to google. Their attempts at positive thinking felt a little halfhearted but it was a start. Maybe they weren't natural optimists because they didn't really think about what good looked like. He would need to maintain a continuous effort to have things for Hyuk to look forward to, things that would reignite hopes and dreams. Still Taekwoon couldn't help feeling that the direction of his efforts hinged on getting his questions answered. For now Vixx was his thing to be hopeful about.   
   
. . .  
   
Most of the weekend was laid back. It almost felt normal. During daylight Sungjae, who was thoroughly grounded, had sent his brothers to Namjoo to see if she wanted to borrow the phone of their oldest brother. Sungjae borrowed a phone from the second oldest and the kids talked for hours Saturday evening. They reassured Hyuk that they weren't mad just scared. They knew he didn't mean for it to happen and had kept his identity in the matter a secret. The call had relieved all the built up nervous tension that had engulfed their apartment that day. Hyuk slept fitfully after drifting off in the morning while Taekwoon had spent the day examining his finances and plotted contingency plans for if they were found out. He wondered how to account for Hyuk's new dietary restrictions. Before all this Taekwoon, while not well off, lived comfortably. But he didn't know what their life style would be like if blood was being sold at a premium he couldn't keep up with.   
   
Since they hadn't been exposed Taekwoon let the kids make plans for Halloween and was begrudging convinced to chaperone them as Nick Fury. Sungjae's parents knew it wasn't worth the effort to keep their son (who was highly skilled in escaping and if not able to escape, in turn, was highly skilled in being a pest) under house arrest for the evening. Namjoo 's parents were easier going but insisted on coming along to watch over them. On the night of Taekwoon was glad for their help in corralling their candy crazed pretend superheroes. For once Hyuk wasn't the one leading the shenanigans still nervous despite downing the full water bottle of Kyungsoo 's blood. Behind the mask no one could see him chewing on a quarter to calm himself.   
   
Throughout the night the kids were very strict amongst themselves about only using their character names. They were very concerned about keeping Hyuk a secret in plain sight. While they struggled to keep their secretive giggling under control, they were able to maintain their elaborate story that Taekwoon and Hyuk were Sungjae's relatives and Hyuk had a rash on his face to explain why he wouldn't take his mask off. They decided his fake name would be Se ok, as it would be close enough to Sanghyuk should anyone slip up. They pulled it off. None of their neighbors, nor the officers on patrol, suspected the masked child was the one who had been in the center of the recent tragic events.   
   
They had ended the evening at Namjoo 's house for a candy trade and a movie. Hyuk skillfully bartered for suckers and gum, begrudgingly giving away the coveted chocolate. Despite that he still left with more candy than he had gathered.   
The movie was scary themed but tame enough to not give anyone nightmares. Taekwoon was grateful. Hyuk struggled with enough of them. He would check on Hyuk during his lunch breaks and sometimes heard him cry out for his mom or had dried trails where bloody tears had fallen. He worried about the scary movie that had been playing in Hyuk's mind while he slept.  
   
. . .  
   
The days had been blurring together for Hyuk since he didn't have school to help him sync up with the rest of the world. Halloween had been his only time marker and now that it was done he felt adrift and out of touch. Wednesday was only distinguishable from the others because he was having a particularly bad flash backs. Taekwoon usually drifted off on the couch around mid-night but after giving Hyuk a pint of his blood he was more tired than usual and passed out on his bed just before nine. Hyuk was still hungry.   
   
Hyuk tried to do everything he could think of to not think. He didn't want to think about memories of his parents. Even the good memories hurt. He couldn't help zoning out sometimes and re-living the kidnapping. He hated when that happened. Little things would spark it. He didn't remember being snatched but the rest was vibrant.   
   
. . .  
   
He had woken chained to a column in a windowless warehouse room. It was overwhelming, his senses were on overload. He could feel all the stray clumps of dirt beneath him on the gritty un-swept floor. He could hear every small creak the building made when the wind pushed it, several rooms away he could hear machinery moving heavy palettes, the scuffled steps of workers and their banter. Worst of all he could smell everything. The warehouse overall smelled humid, stale and bitter. It reminded him of the taste of medicine he didn't swallow fast enough before it started to dissolve on his tongue. It wasn't enough to block out the smell of salt from the bay or cigarettes being smoked on the other side of the building or the maddening, delicious smell of humans. He strained against the chains and bit at the metal wanting to be freed to feed. He would have gotten away but his captors all too soon realized he was awake. One of the vampires grabbed him and pushed him into a different position and re-worked the chains. He was much stronger than Hyuk. They hooted with praise about how spirited he was as he tried to fight back.   
   
They acted friendly when they were asking innocent questions about his mom but he could still sense the venom behind their intentions. They asked things like is your mom a good mom? Where does she get her money? Did she buy expensive things? Did she ever try to hide things from him? Did his parents get along? They teased him with a blood bag and he answered all their questions to get it. She was nice but not good. She got her money from a part time night job at a pizza place, dad was out of a job since construction season was over. They didn't buy expensive things. If she was hiding something it was working because he didn't know. And no, his parents hated each other, but they thought that he was ok. None of it made sense to him. His mom wasn't that interesting and there wasn't much to tell. He didn't really know what a lot of it had to do with anything or why they were asking about his family. All he cared about was the blood bag being tossed hot potato style between the four men. It drove him crazy when it would be tossed out of his line of sight.   
   
"Do you want this?" One asked mockingly, to which Hyuk nodded furiously. He wanted the blood bag that was leaking slightly. It was being waved in front of his face and he licked his lips, following the plastic and red liquid with overwhelming intensity. He was so set on edge. He was asked to think if there were things or places that were off limits because it was for adults only, if he had ever seen her acting funny like she was high, if she had lots of friends come over, if she went to parties.   
   
"How many more questions? Do I get that thing or not?" Hyuk said impatiently.  
   
"Answer the questions and it's all yours"  
   
"Half now, half later." Hyuk said. It always worked on everyone else. The men cackled with laughter but obliged him.   
   
"Alcohol and rated R movies are off limits, no I haven't seen her high, no Dad doesn't like her friends and yes my parents go out to parties all the time."  
   
"Where are the parties?"   
   
"I don't know, you really think they would take their eight year old kid to a party with lots of drinking?" They looked at each other knowing they really weren't going to get anywhere. The one that seemed like the leader handed him the rest of the bag and said to the others "Time for plan B. Get ready to go."  
   
The fourth man hadn't spoken or laughed the whole time. As they were leaving he whispered "Get this situation cleaned up. I'm tired of this bullshit. Don't let this happen again." Before leaving in the opposite direction of where the other three were heading. They shoved him into a van and blindfolded him.  
   
When they took the blind fold off of him he already knew they were in his apartment building. He never realized that the place had a scent but he recognized his location by it. "Alright I need some magic words. Say come in." The leader told him. Hyuk gaped at him confused. "Why?" The leader huffed a sigh and told him to do it or he'd blow up the building. It seemed dumb but Hyuk said it and they just walked in.   
   
It surprised and flustered his mom who was sitting on the couch. She had the tv on but she wasn't actually paying attention to it. Hyuk could see it in her defeated stare the seconds before her brain registered the intrusion. He tried to run to his mom but was overwhelmed by the smell of her blood. He stumbled and shoved his own hand in his mouth to bite it because he was scared of the new hunger he had for something about humans. One of the men smacked the back of his head. "Hey! Stop it! Are you crazy kid? You'll lose your mind if you try to drink your own blood." The leader then turned his attention to Mrs. Han. "Hello beautiful, time's up. It's been up for a while now. There are consequences you know. Just look at what you made us do to your son. How pitiful." He gestured to the boy balling up on the floor. "Now, believe it or not we can make things worse. So hand over our cut on the drug money and since you're no good at paying we'll take what you have back. Or did you already smoke it all?"   
   
"Fuck You!" She said in a strained growl. She knew that she was done for. There wasn't anything to give them. There would be no return on their investment.   
   
His dad had barged into the room looking like he was about to yell about turning down the tv volume but froze. "Babe who are these guys?" he said eyeing them with uncertainty. He then noticed his son crouching on the living room floor trembling. His fingers were gripping the rug, knuckles white. "What did you do to him?!" He yelled at the intruders. "Hyukkie, come here" His mom whimpered. He closed the distance and she knelt down to embrace him. "Come here baby." He started crying red drops "mama." He said hugging her. The leader smirked and motioned to one of his goons, the one not holding a bat but a switch blade, to go to the mother and son. "There are consequences for not paying up." Hyuk's father tried to cut the goon off but was thrown into the wall. Hyuk was yanked away from his mom and landed on his butt. "Mama!" he cried out before the vampire had grasped Mrs. Han's hair and made a small cut on her neck. Hyuk's eyes dilated. He wished he didn't remember the rest.   
   
. . .


	5. From the Source

Taekwoon knew he couldn't keep putting off going to Vixx but he was apprehensive. Sunday afternoon he had decided to scout the locations the vampire had described before he did his grocery shopping. The others looked like sketchy black holes even in full daylight. In comparison Vixx looked like a popular night club. He had been to clubs and they were not somewhere he was keen to take an eight year old to. It seemed like it would be the best option though. Hyuk had gotten his fill that last Monday, Taekwoon had donated more on Wednesday night but he knew it wasn't enough. The boy was miserably restless and disappeared to his nest with more frequency and longer time spans. 

He knew it was time when on Thursday he woke to Hyuk lightly gnawing on his arm. Taekwoon had fallen asleep on his bed for once and Hyuk needed a hug after his bad night. He was curled up against his guardian, having pulled Taekwoon's arm over himself, creating the unintentional situation as he slept. Hyuk looked like a cute little sleeping zombie but the bite was starting to hurt and Taekwoon had carefully extricated his limb. He would have asked Yixing for help but he was in Beijing for the next two weeks. Kyungsoo told him to man up and then proceeded to avoid him so as not to have to deal with Taekwoon's puppy dog eyes. 

. . .

The pair of them stared up at the building apprehensively. "Well…we should go in huh?" Hyuk said. He didn't move though. 

"Yeah…" Taekwoon agreed. He didn't move either. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He was kicking himself for dragging this out and decided he needed to just rip off the stupid band aid. 

"Agh! Let's go." He growled and grabbing Hyuk's hand strode forward. Seeing the internal fight displayed on Taekwoon's facial expressions was amusing and it momentarily distracted Hyuk from feeling nervous. Just momentarily though.

Once they made it in the front doors of Vixx and wondered down the dark front hallway they came to the golden light of main room and waited unsure of what to do. 

"Can I help you?" A man in black jeans and black button up asked them as he approached. He was trying to keep an air of pleasantness but was obviously confused about the human's presence. And why he would bring a kid. Hyuk hid behind Taekwoon shyly. 

"Um, yeah…Hyuk come on out." Taekwoon gently prodded Hyuk to make himself visible. "He is in need of some blood." Taekwoon tried to smile but it came across as more of a grimace. The man's eyes went wide when he realized what the boy was. 

"Oh…um, right. Come right this way." 

There was a richly furnished main lounge in the center of the large room and raised walkway on either side with separated nooks lining the wall. He brought them to one halfway down the left walk way. "Can I get you anything to drink sir? We have soda, juice, things like that." He offered and Taekwoon took him up on a soda feeling awkward and would feel appreciate having something to put his attention on. "Have you two been to a blood bar before?" He asked seeing their uncontainable uncertainty. They shook their heads. "Well, welcome to Vixx. I take it you are a bit new to the whole vampire thing? No worries. I'm Wonshik. What are your names?" They introduced themselves, relaxing a bit at his friendly nature. "All right I'll be right back…You probably haven't developed any preferences about the type of blood or…I'll be right back." He concluded. 

The two took in their surroundings when Wonshik left. There was a gentle murmur from other patrons and instrumental music playing lightly. Hyuk marveled at the pillars that looked like trees, pointing out to Taekwoon how their branches protruded into the ceiling. Projectors must have been hidden in the ledges around the top of the room because rather convincing foliage shimmered under blue sky. It contrasted with the mostly red seating, dark wood end tables and the wood block screens creating the illusion of privacy in the nooks. The back wall was covered in mossy rock columns which gentle streams of water flowed down. Hyuk itched to investigate it but was too afraid to stray from Taekwoon who he was nestled against. 

Their…would he be called a waiter? Wonshik threaded his way in between clusters of customers and feeders who had been stealing glances their way. He selected a young man dressed similarly to him and their hushed conversation had the feeder's eyes widening. He worked to plaster an unfazed gentle smile on his face as followed Wonshik back. Wonshik introduced him as Hongbin and excused himself, retreating toward the back wall and behind the waterfall display. 

"Wonshik tells me you are a new born vampire." Hongbin stated. Hyuk nodded meekly. 

"Yup, two weeks roughly, so this is all really new." Taekwoon filled in the details for the boy. "We're kind of in the dark about how all of this works."

"If I may what have your feeding experiences been like thus far?" He probed. Usually they were traumatic and he wanted to know what kind of triggers to avoid to make their client comfortable. The guardian and charge looked at each other in a silent tug o war of 'you do it', 'no you' before Taekwoon answered "For the most part it's been that I would cut my arm and collect blood in a cup for him to drink from." 

"But no feeding directly from the source?" He asked. Hyuk hid his face behind Taekwoon's arm and he sighed. "The time he did it was...The circumstances weren't good. He's scared of over doing it again." Taekwoon answered. He felt Hyuk cling tightly to his coat and nuzzling into his side more. His charge was trying to silence the memory that was chewing on him. 

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that." Hongbin reached out and gently patted the boy's knee to get his attention. "Hey, take a look at this." Hyuk peaked out a little. "Give me your hand." He did so shakily and Hongbin gently grasped it. "This will hurt a little." He then lightly brushed the boy's skin with what looked like an oblong marble. It was silver and Hyuk wrenched his hand back with a hiss. "If you start to go too far I'll let you know to ease up with this. And if you want we can call Wonshik back over. He's a really strong vampire and he can help you stop." 

"Can't I just get a cup of blood?" Hyuk asked frowning.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy. What vampires actually need is the life force that comes with the blood. If the blood isn't in contact with its source, the life force in it dwindles really quickly. Freshly poured blood is enough to tide you over for a while but there isn't enough life force left in it to sustain you even if you just collected it. You need a more concentrated dose. Poor kid, you're probably starving."

They were interrupted by another feeder delivering Taekwoon's soda. She caught a glimpse of Hyuk and waved to him. He shyly waved back. "Aww you're so cute! If you'd like I can take your coats." She offered. "Um sure." Taekwoon said realizing it was warm there. He had noticed the feeders varied in the amount of clothing they wore. Even Hongbin's button up shirt was barely buttoned and his sleeves were rolled up. When Hyuk handed off his coat Taekwoon took stock of the boy. He had been skinny before but maybe he had lost weight. "Thanks Hani!" Hongbin called after her.

"How often does he need to feed from the 'source' as you put it?" Taekwoon asked. 

"Since he is new it will probably be every other day for a while and will eventually taper off to once a week, probably within a year. Newborns need lots of life force to help their bodies cope with all the rearranging their DNA is doing." Hongbin explained. "It makes them a little crazy to not get it. Come on over kiddo." Hongbin beckoned. Hyuk looked up at Taekwoon uncertainly who nodded. He slowly slid off the couch he was seated on to walk over to the bench Hongbin was situated at. 

"Since Taekwoon has been cutting I'll go ahead and start this for you." He pulled out a pocket knife and Hyuk immediately shot back to Taekwoon's side, on the verge of panic attack. He buried his face in Taekwoon's shoulder. Taekwoon and Hongbin traded baffled looks. "Hyukkie talk to me." Taekwoon coaxed softly. "m-m-mama. That gangster guy cut her and I…" Just then Taekwoon realized he had always been in a different room when he cut. The two had a hushed conversation and then Taekwoon pulled Hyuk in for a hug. Over his shoulder Taekwoon mouthed 'now'. Hongbin looked at him questioningly but Taekwoon gave him a harsher look and he complied. Hyuk picked up the scent and looked hungrily over his shoulder. 

"Ready?" Hongbin asked. Hyuk looked conflicted and fidgeted with the struggle to restrain himself. As he stared at the cut on Hongbin's arm he unconsciously bit on his finger trying to ground himself. Hongbin's eyes flew open with worry. "Ah! Don't do that! It's bad for you to drink your own blood Hyukkie. Come here." He gently pulled the boy over to sit on the ground near his feet. The feeder braced his arm on his knee to deal with the strength the small child possessed. Hyuk was completely gone once his mouth found the open wound. He bite down to keep himself steady and drank with abandon. Taekwoon was impressed with Hongbin who didn't cry out at the pain though he did grimace. Hongbin started to look a little woozy after a couple minutes. "Hongbin?" Taekwoon said trying to gage what he should do. He just hummed an acknowledgement to Taekwoon's concern and told Hyuk he needed a break. He reached for the piece of silver and Taekwoon pushed on Hyuk's jaw trying to get him to loosen his hold. "Come on Hyukkie. Take a break." Hyuk let go and sat back looking dizzy. His eyes weren't very focused. "How are you feeling?" Taekwoon asked Hyuk who looked half out of it but gave him a thumbs up sign. He then looked up to Hongbin. "Are you ok?" 

"Don't worry. He's used to it." A man said leaning on the frame of the wood block screen. "Hongbin, need any help?

"Could you close me up real quick?" He held out his arm and the man licked at the open wound. The blood coagulated quickly and the skin regained more ground with each pass. "Thanks, boss." 

"Wonshik, can you take Hongbin to the back?"

He appeared in the door frame and rested his arm on leader's shoulder. "Hey Hyukkie, how are you feeling?"

"Better, sleepy." He murmured crawling over to Taekwoon's feet and leaning on his legs. 

"Oh, Hakyeon, they are first timers." Hongbin reported.

"Ah, excellent. Tell Jaehwan to give them a first visit discount." He said, hoisting Hongbin to his feet and passing him to Wonshik's arms for support. 

Hakyeon took Hongbin's vacant spot and flashed a smile that featured fangs. "Hyuk right? Why don't you nap here a little while I talk to your...Taekwoon." He gestured unsure of their relation to each other. 

"Taekwoon would you please join me in my office? I would like to have a chat with you." Hakyeon asked but it didn't sound like a request. The guardian was reluctant to leave his vulnerable charge. If Hakyeon noticed he didn't give any indication as he lifted the top of the bench to retrieve a pillow and blanket. 

"Its fairly common to feel drowsy after a sustenance feed. You can nap here for as long as you like Hyuk." He said in a sing-song-y voice, tucking in the boy on the couch. Hyuk nestled in and drifted off within seconds.  "Shall we?" again not really a request. 

. . .


	6. The Not Knowing

Taekwoon felt like he was in the principal's office sitting across from Hakyeon at the vampire's desk. 

"Now, I'm guessing that you already know this is a rather unprecedented situation. What exactly happened?" Hakyeon asked sharply. His eyes were quite cutting and it made Taekwoon uneasy, as if this was somehow his fault. But his fear was over powered by desperate curiosity and he'd have to give information to get information.  He swallowed and took a steadying breath, wanting to get the interrogation he was in for over with. 

"I don't know all of it because I try to avoid questioning Hyuk. It spikes his anxiety and it's a bit heart breaking to watch an eight year old have deal with that. He and his family were my next door neighbors and I kept an eye on him when his parents were busy. He was kidnapped and turned by a gang that his mother had pissed off. They took him with them to harass his parents and things ended badly. Both of his parents were killed in the incident. I was able to get him out while his father was having a shootout with them and I've been hiding him because...well...they used him to kill his own mother. It's hard to know how the police would react to that."

"That probably for the best. Our government isn't forgiving to my kind." Hakyeon said behind laced fingers examining a spot on his desk pensively. Taekwoon waited for Hakyeon to react, and while a good number of his questions had been answered, there was one that was especially burning a hole in him.

"Have you ever seen anything like this happen before? Will he get to be like a normal kid and grow up?"  Taekwoon asked almost pleadingly. 

Hakyeon tapped his finger on his lip while thinking. "I haven't seen this before but I can ask around amongst some older vampires I know. Who all knows about him?" Hakyeon asked, more concerned with gathering all the needed information to assess how urgent the danger level was. 

"Some of his friends from school, I've allowed him to talk on the phone with them. Some of my coworkers have given us blood but they don't really know the details. That's all."

"Good, keep it that way. Have you been followed lately or threatened? Any sign that the gang is still around your area?" Taekwoon shook his head. 

"The three that came that night died in the shootout so there wouldn't be any chance they reported back to anyone. So far we've been under the radar I think." Taekwoon answered. 

The gang probably hadn't taken into account such an unlikely factor as the neighbor's interference. But now they had walked through Hakyeon's front door and what information would spread and to who would be anyone's guess. There was the danger that these terrorist would try to reclaim their infant at the expense of those involved. The fact that they were here meant Hakyeon was now involved. 

"What do you know about this gang?"

"Only that they were vampires and they deal in drugs."

"Type of drugs?"

"I think they said something about meth."

"Any markings or symbols? Did their looks stand out at all?"

"Their clothes were casual, I think. I didn't notice any symbols, but I was more concerned about what was going on, so I can't really say for sure."

"Well, If they deal in the drug trade there will be more of them." Hakyeon looked like he was trying to contain explosive rage. Under his breath he muttered "I can't believe they would do that to their own child."

"He's not theirs." Taekwoon said defensively. 

"His makers might not see it that way." Now it was Taekwoon's turn to brood. Theirs over his dead body. Unfortunately that could be quite easy for them. He hung his head feeling helpless. 

Hakyeon sighed and his expression lightened when he realized the effect his words were having. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so prickly. Gangs make me edgy. They've tried to terrorize my establishments before and I always worry about my humans. I'm sure the not knowing is hard for you too."

"It's ok." Taekwoon said with a small but forgiving smile. Hakyeon looked like he was about to speak again but there was a knock at the door. "Come in. Ah, Jaehwan."

"Hey Hakyeon, here is the bill" Hakyeon's eyebrows shot up as he read the delivered paper to which Jaehwan just shrugged. "Tell Hongbin he has mandatory vacation time, for however long of a time period you see fit. I still have some things to discuss with our guest." Jaehwan nodded and flitted out of the room. Hakyeon looked over bill again, then handed it to Taekwoon. Taekwoon felt his stomach drop. 

"Do you think he'll drink this much every time?" He asked sheepishly. 

"I'd say a quarter of that if he feeds regularly enough. That price would be close to a week's worth of feeding." Having recently gone over his budget Taekwoon figured he would have to work overtime on a regular basis to keep Hyuk properly fed. The human chewed on his lip anxiously wondering if his company had much overtime to give. Maybe he could take out a credit card, his credit was decent. Most of his savings were tied up in a retirement account but he could dig into that too as a last resort. "I'll have to get creative with my budget but I suppose I can supplement him with my blood too." He said thinking out loud. 

"I'm afraid that won't be an option for you for a couple months though. I can tell you don't have much to give. I might even have Jaehwan hook you up to an IV while you wait for Hyuk to wake up. We have a mix that helps red blood cells regenerate quicker." Taekwoon gaped a little ready to protest and Hakyeon quickly added "For free" to put the human's mind at ease. Hakyeon felt bad charging him anything. Still he had a business to run and couldn't afford to be a bleeding heart for each new born who came through his doors. He had tried payment plans before and had gotten burned each time.   
Still the human was clearly in a tough position. Suddenly becoming the guardian of a traumatized child, possibly being targeted by a gang, and giving so much blood that he was just dragging along; he had it rough and it showed. 

"Tell you what, every time you bring Hyuk in for a feed I'll put you on an IV, for free, and you should be fully recovered in a month. Would that help a little?" Taekwoon nodded. 

"Ok, let's start with that then. Come." Hakyeon led him down the hall to a staff common room. "Jaehwan, this is Taekwoon. Please put him on an IV and take good care of him." 

Hongbin was sprawled out in one of the chairs drinking a smoothie, IV taped in place to his arm, and Taekwoon chose a chair next to him. Hongbin waved languidly. "Are you sure he's ok?" Taekwoon asked nervously. The others sputtered and tried to stifle their laughs. 

"I get a three week vacation so I'm doing great." Hongbin informed him with a smirk. "I was due for one anyway which is why I let Wonshik pick me. Hakyeon's got a great paid time off policy."

"I can't sell what's not there. We track our employee's health very strictly." Hakyeon said with a shrug, as he perched on the arm of another chair. 

"What are you going to do while you're out?" Jaehwan asked casually while getting Taekwoon hooked to an IV. 

"Play lots of overwatch." Hongbin said grinning. 

"Figures, he could go visit family or go someplace fun, but no, he'd rather coup himself up in his room and play games." Hakyeon said in a nagging tone. Hongbin made a judging face and stuck out his tongue. 

"Hyuk likes overwatch. He talked me into getting for it for him so he has something to do when I sleep." Taekwoon supplied. 

"He can play with me. I'm nocturnal because of this job. I'll get his screen name when he wakes up."

"You know, on your days off you could get the chance to see the sun." Jaehwan said tauntingly. 

"You could try it too, you know." Hakyeon teased in the same tone.

"Cha Hakyeon are you trying to kill me?!" Jaehwan said with feigned shock. Hakyeon laughed and hugged him. 

"Oh, but where would I be without my fantastic doctor? Can you imagine the chaos? You know I love you." Hakyeon said with a coaxing pout.

"Did you hear that guys. He said he loves me. I feel special." Jaehwan said cutely. Hongbin rolled his eyes and Taekwoon snickered. 

"Get a room." Hongbin bemoaned the affectionate duo. 

"I own this place. All the rooms are mine. I'll shamelessly flirt with our good doctor where ever I want." Hakyeon said petulantly, resting his chin on said doctor's shoulder. Jaehwan patted Hakyeon's hands before his boss left to sit in the chair on the other side of Taekwoon. 

"Watch out Taekwoon, he flirts with everyone. It was nice to meet you, I'm going to get back to work. It’s a good thing that Hongbin is here to chaperone him or else who knows what shameless thing would happen." Jaehwan said with a devious grin. 

"YA! If you keep talking like that he's going to think I'm really that bad."

Taekwoon and Hongbin traded looks and snickered. "Too late." Hakyeon gave them a scandalized look and Taekwoon rushed to reassure him that he was joking. Their banter was comfortable and all the apprehension he had about Vixx subsided. The three chatted until his IV bag was running low and Wonshik wandered in with Hyuk sitting atop his shoulders. His ride was jokingly trying to run him into the top of the door frame. Hyuk had a hold on his ears and was giggling protests. The three smiled and Hakyeon whispered to Taekwoon "so cute!" 

Wonshik set squirming child down and Hyuk scowled "I'm not cute." He clambered onto Taekwoon's chair with him.

"That's not what those girls you were charming out there thought." Wonshik teased. "I found him in the lounge surrounded by our female staff and they were saying things like 'oh, how cute! Oh, Hyukkie you're such a sweetheart." Wonshik imitated a girlish voice (rather unsuccessfully due to his deep voice.) 

"Oh really?" Taekwoon said with an amused smile. "Namjoo might not like that." Hyuk crossed his arms.

"That's not what was happening. You guys are embarrassing… Taekwoon? Are you ok? Why are you hooked to a hospital thingy?" Hyuk asked, his sullen expression shifting to one of concern. 

"Oh…no, this is just to help my body make more blood. I'm ok. Don't worry." 

"Ok, just…don't die." He whispered almost inaudibly as he hugged Taekwoon.

"I'll try not to, not until I'm super old." He reassured him, petting his hair. "Ready to go home?" Hyuk nodded. 

. . . 

After Taekwoon settled the bill and they walked them to the door and said their goodbyes, after all of his guests had left for the night, after locking up, the three vampires congregated in the lounge where they shared what they had found out throughout business hours. 

"This is the most aggressive gang I've ever heard of." Jaehwan said forlornly from where he lay stretched out on a couch. 

"They've crossed a hard and serious line." Hakyeon fumed. "A child, over what? Drugs? Nothing calls for something so extreme, so…cruel. They definitely aren't doing this for money. Drugs are lucrative enough."

"Then what? It's for shits and giggles?" Jaehwan asked . Hakyeon nodded before rubbing his face tiredly. 

"Boss what do we do?" Wonshik asked from upon another couch on his stomach.

"There isn't much to do at this point. We don't have much to go on and we can't baby sit those two. It's not like they would welcome that either. All we can do at this point is to stay alert and dig carefully. Slowly. I don't want to tip anyone off that we're investigating and I don't want to scare off our new guests… Just act business as usual for now." 

"We can't really stop the rumors about a kid vampire wandering through our doors though." Wonshik pointed out. "Almost every customer stopped me at one point to ask about it. They are scared of whoever did this."

"What did they think of Hyuk himself?" Hakyeon asked.

"It was 50/50. One half was sympathetic and were worried about whether he was ok or not. The other half, backward fucks really, were convinced that he was some type of walking plague devil spawn. Like he was bred like that and not turned." 

"Great" Hakyeon was fully exasperated and leaned all the way back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. "I'd tell you to make them leave but 50% is a huge dent in revenue. Make sure to word all explanations carefully and tell the staff not to answer anything but to refer the curious customers to us." They all spaced out slightly, tired from the rising sun and the overly eventful night. 

"There is one thing I can do…" Jaehwan thought out loud then turned his attention to his companions. "It might not be much help at the moment but its more info than what we started with. If I get a blood sample from Hyuk I might be able to tell you more about his maker since his turning is recent." 

"Jaehwan you sound like you walked out of a crime scene investigation story." Wonshik said appraisingly. Jaehwan beamed at the compliment. "Smart and sexy, those actors wish they were me." He complimented himself and winked confidently. 

"There is another thing I want you to look into. Taekwoon asked me if Hyuk will get to grow up. See if there is anything you can gather in that respect as well." Hakyeon added. 

"Vampire DNA is volatile, it could be possible but don't quote me on that." Jaehwan mused. They fell silent in different routes of contemplation. 

"When I was eight I liked fart jokes." Wonshik said randomly. 

"Wonshik, what are you talking about? You still like fart jokes." Hakyeon teased mirthfully. Wonshik smiled bashfully and Jaehwan cracked up so hard he nearly fell off the couch. 

. . .


	7. Hang Up

As it turned out his boss had a number of odd projects for Taekwoon to do to get overtime. All he had to do was feed him a line about wanting to help his sick sister (who wasn't actually sick but far easier to explain) and the work was his. He had been staying two to three hours after closing time to do the monotonous work. 

Taekwoon stayed late at work again and was just dragging himself home for the evening. He was trying to unlock his mail box but fumbled to the point of frustration. He wasn't tired for lack of blood. In that respect he was recovering nicely. It was more so from overworking and the late nights trying to stay up to keep Hyuk company, not that he was really great company like this. He leaned his head on the wall of boxes trying to collect himself when he felt hands on either side of his arms and a gentle push to the side. "Taekwoon? Are you ok?" asked Eunkwang, Sungjae's oldest brother.

"Ah, sorry, yeah I'm good. Just a little tired." Eunkwang took the keys and unlocked Taekwoon's mail box for him, which was anti-climactically empty, before checking his own. 

"How is Hyuk doing?" He hesitantly asked while locking up again. 

"huh?" Taekwoon responded neutrally, not wanting to give away anything. 

"I read their text messages, it's my phone Sungjae keeps borrowing."

"You tell me, how is he doing?" Taekwoon asked, not in rudeness or caginess, but in earnest wanting to see a different take on his charge. Luckily Eunkwang understood. 

"They mostly joke a lot, and talk about video games and Sungjae tells him all the playground gossip. Hyuk's trying to stay positive. He likes the place you guys go for blood, the um, Vixx. He misses school and their friends and playing with them during the day…he misses you. He's worried about you…these kids are such dorks. They keep coming up with conspiracy theories on what you are up to." he said with a gentle but contagious laugh. 

"Oh, gosh, I'm sure they're coming up with some pretty outrageous stuff." Taekwoon said smiling incredulously as they made their way up the stairs. 

"My personal favorite is that you've decided to become a kpop idol and you're spending all this time training." 

"That sounds like more fun than my boring office job." 

"When you get a free night we should take the kids out for a round of karaoke. Seriously, you need some fun. Don't work so hard!" Eunkwang admonished 

"Same for you. How is university?" 

"Expensive." Eunkwang said scrunching up his face. "Minhyuk and I have a deal that whoever gets the better grades gets to stay in school next semester and the other is going to drop out to work and help fund the one that stays." 

Taekwoon expression sunk to sadness "Eunkwang, I'm so sorry, that’s a sucky decision to have to face."

"Eh, it's all good, Minhyuk is a good brother. I think whatever the outcome, it will be ok for us in the long run. At least we get to pick." He patted Taekwoon's shoulder before waving and bounding up the rest of the stairs. 

. . .

Upon opening the door Taekwoon was met with a grumpy child, arms crossed and glaring. "Um, hi?" Taekwoon tried as he kicked of his shoes. 

"You're late. You promised that we would actually go to Vixx tonight remember?" Hyuk said in his snottiest tone. Taekwoon sighed and put his shoes back on, "Right, right, sorry. The place is open all night remember? Sheesh, I hope you aren't like this when you're a teenager." Taekwoon mimicked Hyuk's tone but then froze after he realized he had mentioned age. Ever since Jaehwan had collected the saliva and blood samples from Hyuk it was something the boy worried about it a lot, antsy for results. It was a sensitive topic and a low blow. "Hyukkie I'm sor-" 

"Whatever I'll be in the car." Hyuk cut him off and marched out the door. The child didn't talk to him during the drive over and Taekwoon thought it might be better to leave him alone. 

"Hakyeon! Wonshik! Taekwoon's being mean to me!" Hyuk loudly complained as soon as they walked in. Taekwoon facepalmed and closed his eyes in frustration. Maybe if he stayed perfectly still nothing would happen to him.

"What! How dare he!" Hakyeon exclaimed sternly. "Don't worry I'll give him a talking to."

"Come on now, come chill out, who do you want to hang out with tonight?" Wonshik asked rolling his eyes and leading the boy off to the lounge to say hi to the staff. It was more like who on staff was going to call dibs on him. Wonshik threw Taekwoon a sympathetic smile over his shoulder once Hyuk was distracted. "Kids" Hakyeon said shaking his head fondly and patted the human's back. Taekwoon was worn out by the day that seemed to go on forever. 

"Come on. You look like you could use a break, I think I need one too." Hakyeon said as he put his arm over Taekwoon's shoulder and led him to the back. Hyuk watched them go with a conflicted and guilty expression. He wordlessly let go of Wonshik's hand and wandered off to one of the nooks. Wonshik fidgeted wondering if he should follow or not. "I'll go check on him." one of the girls said relieving Wonshik of his indecision. "Thanks Sojin" he responded. 

Sojin carefully approached the grumpy little boy. He was huddled up on a couch playing a game on his father's phone. 

"So…What's eating you?" She asked quietly. 

"Nothing, I'm eating a penny, see." He replied blandly, displaying the copper and zinc wad.

"Wow, remind me not to make you mad." She said more impressed than frightened. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm always hungry. I hate it." Hyuk sulked. Sojin sat down next to him and put her arm over his shoulders. 

"It will get better in time. For now how about you drink a little bit and then you can go back to playing. If you are worried I'll have my silver out." Hyuk nodded and the feeder offered the wrist hanging from his shoulder and displayed the silver piece in the other hand. He gingerly bit down but didn't take more than a mouthful. "Hyukkie, you need a little bit more." She coaxed. 

"Taekwoon has to pay for it though." He licked her wound shut and laid his head down on her thigh. "I'm tired of him working all the time. He doesn't listen to me anymore and he forgets about me." 

"He never truly forgets about you. He works to make sure you are safe and healthy." 

"He leaves me alone all the time and forgot that we were supposed to come here for the third night in a row. Doesn't seem very safe or healthy to me." They sat silently while Sojin brushed her fingers through his hair and thought about what to say. "He would probably be better off without me."

"Hey now! No thinking like that! He would be a miserable cuss without you. I bet he was a wreck when you were missing. You should ask him about what happened after you got taken." She admonished.

"What happened?" He asked densely. 

"You have to ask him that, silly. You should tell him what you've been upset about. Promise me you'll try." She prodded. Hyuk wouldn't take the bait though. "Pinky promise!" She growled over and over in her best monster voice, tickling him until he was squirming and laughing. "ok, ok pinky promise." Hyuk relented. "Now more blood mister." She said fondly. This time he adequately complied. 

. . .

"Jaehwan can I get one of those IV's too?" Smirking, Hakyeon called out to the doctor who was just entering the room trailed by a tired feeder. 

"It doesn't work that way for you dingus." Jaehwan retorted and ruffled the older vampire's hair. 

"What's wrong?" Taekwoon asked Hakyeon who looked worn out. 

"A coven that was docked at port came in for sustenance feeds and maxed out Kai and Taemin. Hongbin is recovered but he'll still have to take it easy. The flu has been going around amongst the girls who room together. And half of the rest of them are on their way to being maxed out. Soon I'll be working with a skeleton crew."

"Yeah, hire more people already." the feeder said sitting down next to Hakyeon while Jaehwan got an IV for him. "Taekwoon you want to take over for me? I think I need to tap out soon." 

"Sunggyu, is that a hickey?" Hakyeon said slyly, tickling a bruised spot. 

"Damn it." He slapped his hand to his neck "Dongwoo can be such a little shit sometimes. I'm going to kick his ass."

"Leave our customers' asses alone. You can't fight a vampire anyway." Jaehwan chided mischievously. "You know, he's right though."

"I am?" Sunggyu asked with a scrunched, confused face. 

"Taekwoon, he'll be recovered enough soon. By the time we get him trained he'd have enough blood in him. What do you think? Can you handle a few nibbles?" Jaehwan joked flashing a fang-y smile. 

"That's actually not a bad idea. Jaehwan taste him and see if he's got potential." Hakyeon commanded, amused by the bewildered look Taekwoon was giving Jaehwan. 

"Uh, I…wait, um-" Taekwoon cut himself off with an surprised yelp as Jaehwan swiftly yanked on his shirt buttons and bit his shoulder. Taekwoon froze not knowing how to handle what was taking place. Jaehwan then stood up swishing the mouth full of blood around as he dammed the site of his taste test with a cotton ball.

"So?" The two staff members inquired. Jaehwan beamed after swallowing "Not bad. There is potential. We'll have to regulate his diet to enhance his flavor but he's a good cut of meat." He then removed the cotton ball and licked the wound shut. 

"He's got the right type of look. What is your blood type?" Hakyeon asked starting to get too close for Taekwoon's comfort.

"O" He replied as he tried to wrap his mind around the situation. 

"Ah! Perfect" Hakyeon said clapping happily. "O is popular." 

"We'd have to break him of that scream though." Jaehwan teased pinching him, the result of which was a bitter grimaces that sent the doctor giggling. 

"A little practice and you'll be fine." Sunggyu assured him. 

"Well its settled we'll start training tomorrow night." Hakyeon concluded, smiling to himself as he did the math in his head about his 'inventory' levels. 

"What if I don't want this job?" Taekwoon asked looking nervous. He didn't like the feeling of being swept away by the tide of Hakyeon's enthusiasm. It was all going too fast. There were too many details he didn't know.

"Oh…well…never mind then." Hakyeon deflated. He had taken a liking to the quiet human that usually had smart-aleck remarks when he did speak. He would have added a nice stoic streak to the palette his staff consisted of. "Know anyone who would want the job? I really do need more feeders." Hakyeon asked, face still adorned with a frown from not getting his way. 

"Actually…maybe" Taekwoon said thinking of his college student neighbors. "I can call them up to see if they're interested in meeting with you if you want." Hakyeon responded with a shrug and a nod. It wouldn't hurt to see the alternative to his first pick. Taekwoon called Eunkwang and Sungjae answered the phone. 

"You beat my high score you son of a bitch! It's not fair!" The boy shirked. 

"Sungjae, Sungjae!" Taekwoon repeated trying to be heard by the rapid fire kid. "Sungjae! Can I please speak to your brother." The line went quiet for a few seconds. 

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry Taekwoon. I thought you were Hyukkie. Which brother?" That's right, there is seven of them…"Eunkwang please." 

"On it! Eunkwang!! It's for you for once! Really, get a girlfriend or give me your phone because no one actually calls you."

"Sungjae shut up. Remind me to teach him proper phone etiquette later." He mumbled a request of someone in his proximity. "Hello?" Eunkwang picked up questioningly.

"Hey Eunkwang, it's Taekwoon. I think I might have a gig for you and Minhyuk if you are interested." He explained the details and they agreed to come with him to Vixx the next night. Though not energetic about the prospect Hakyeon seemed agreeable about the meeting. The vampires drifted off to get back to work leaving Taekwoon and Sunggyu to their own devises. Taekwoon had met most of the staff by way of IV time and Sunggyu was one of the ones he got along with really well. 

"So…what's your hang up on being a feeder. I mean, no judgement here. It doesn't appeal to everyone. I was just wondering if there was something specific." Sunggyu pried. 

"Sunggyu is that a hickey?" Taekwoon mimicked from earlier. Sunggyu leveled a glare at him for the reminder. 

"We've already established this. What's your point?"

"It’s a lot of touching."

Sunggyu evaluated and accepted the response. "Touching is the nature of the job I guess. Dongwoo is my best friend, so he likes to give me crap. Almost all the rest of the customers are decent people just coming in to feed and nothing more. Wonshik, our manager, doesn't hesitate to toss people out if they are acting inappropriately. This isn't a stripe club, no one should be trying to get off here."

"I guess what it really is, is that I'm not really good with people. I'm a bit awkward around new people." 

"True, but it's endearing." Sunggyu cackled. "Hakyeon has a good feel for what the customers are comfortable with so he wouldn't offer you the job if you weren't a good fit. Just hang out and watch feeder 101 and it will give you a better idea of what is expected." 

. . .

He had made himself an easy target while staring up at the thick flakes falling for the first time that season. A snowball pegged Hyuk in the cheek. It was a risky maneuver to try to get Hyuk to engage with him. But it worked. Hyuk smiled an evil little smile and started gathering up snow while Taekwoon ducked behind the parked car. It was a heated battle as they chased each other around the car, laughing while chucking their white ammunition at each other. In the end Taekwoon was out paced by Hyuk's overabundance of energy. He pleaded for truce once a handful of snow had been deposited down the back of his shirt. 

"Only if…" Hyuk looked like he already knew what he wanted but wasn't sure about asking. Taekwoon crossed his arms and leaned on the defrosting car. "Only if?" 

"What happened when I was gone? Sojin told me to ask."

"You mean…when you were taken?..." Taekwoon asked wide eyed to which his charge nodded but didn't make eye contact. He knelt down in the snow in front of Hyuk and pulled him in for a hug. "We were so scared. I found your jacket and it was all bloody. We called the cops and I went door to door hoping you were with one of your friends. We were all worried sick that we wouldn't get to see you again. It was the worst feeling in the world. I was so scared something awful had happened to you." Taekwoon teared up. Something awful did happen. "I'm so sorry Hyukkie. I'm so sorry all of that happened to you." He sobbed out, holding Hyuk tightly. Hyuk melted into the embrace and cried too. Hyuk was beginning to understand.


	8. Feeder 101 (Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:  
> If you want to skip the convoluted science explanation feel free to skip the first section. Long story short they don't have any answers yet. But there is a listing of the feeders at the end of the first section by blood type :) I did try to do my research for this chapter. 
> 
> I'm the same age as Taekwoon and it's been nearly a decade since my last biology class. I feel old saying that :( If there is something inaccurate please correct me! I'm pretty much making shit up. When I say "so that Hakyeon can understand it" it's really just my understanding level. Mianhae Hakyeon, Saranghae. That's why this chapter took so long to write. I had moments like this:
> 
> "Do you think you can handle high school level biology?" The boy looked uncertain but then determinedly nodded anyway. 
> 
> "Well Hakyeon (K Begger) can't, boss if you get bored feel free to wander off." 
> 
> -and-
> 
> 'This was a way over simplified explanation but he wasn't sure the rest of his audience (K Begger) would be patient enough for (could explain it without butchering) a full on lesson on mitosis and cell division.' 
> 
> Yeah…I'm a boss like that.

Wonshik yanked Taekwoon back to his chair and solidly held him down by his shoulders. "I don't understand why I have to be here." He whispered to the unyielding vampire. "Just hang out for now." He responded with amusement. "But I'm not an employee." Taekwoon tried to protest again but was shushed by Hyuk who spun to sit in his chair properly rather than being upside down. 

Hakyeon commenced the staff meeting. "All right everyone. Thank you for joining us for a quick meeting even if it's your day off. I have a few things to go over today. First I want to introduce our new trainees, Minhyuk and Eunkwang, and ask that you take good care of them. Please answer any question they ask and introduce them to our regulars." Minhyuk and Eunkwang fidgeted when the attention was on them but gave their fellow employees a friendly wave. Second order of business- We'll be doing a red blood cell sample count after this so stick around afterwards. We have estimates but we'd like to get official measures. Third, there have been a lot of questions in regards to our youngest visitor so next is a word from our lovely doctor Jaehwan." Hakyeon turned the floor over to Jaehwan who looked like a happy camper about the attention. 

"Ok, science lesson time boys and girls." Jaehwan called out to the lounge's occupants. "And don't worry I won't throw around fancy science terms, I'll speak so even Hakyeon understands it." Jaehwan said giving a giggling Hyuk a fist bump. "I resent that." Hakyeon muttered but didn't feel like arguing with the man who had gotten several doctorate degrees in different areas of the medical field. 

"Okeydokey, so I need to start with a disclaimer. Vampire DNA is a mess. You have the person's DNA, the maker's DNA and the blood of those who the vampire has fed on. It's easiest to get the person's DNA from spit. In the freshly turned stage the concentration of the maker's DNA is highest and then in time dilutes with feeder DNA. The blood that is in the highest concentration in Hyuk's body right now that doesn't belong to him is probably his maker's blood. From what I can tell we're looking at an Asian male in his thirties at the time of turning. There are signs that he was either a heavy smoker or around people that were judging by some mutation patterns. Also its been several centuries since his turning since his cells are stable. That's what I know for sure. I know that's probably too general but if you have any suspicions that you've found this gang boss please discreetly tell us."

Eyes turned to Hyuk hoping he might give them detail on his experience but he just stared at his shoes feeling flushed from the unwanted attention. Taekwoon put his arm around him protectively shutting down anyone who might blurt something out with a ferocious glare. 

"Also I've been asked about this a lot. When it comes to what will happen in the long run with Hyuk's turning, that's where things are still kind of murky. I've been studying your spit Hyukkie and I can't tell what's going to happen. That part is complicated."

"Try me." Hyuk demanded. Jaehwan's eyebrows shot up before he said with a smirk "Do you think you can handle high school level biology?" The boy looked uncertain but then determinedly nodded anyway. 

"Well Hakyeon can't, boss if you get bored feel free to wander off." The pillow Hakyeon had been hugging rocketed into Jaehwan's face and knocked him a bit off kilter. "Really?" He admonished the pillow throwing offender. 

"I passed my biology class, thank you very much."

"How many years has it been since that class?" Taekwoon asked softly. Hakyeon moped "Why does everyone pick on me. I sign your paychecks." 

"It's been close to a decade since my high school biology class so we can suffer together." Taekwoon said gently to which Jaehwan responded with a facepalm. "You two are probably hopeless then. For time's sake only Hyuk is allowed to ask questions." Jaehwan took a long breath to collect himself before a trying explanation.

"Vampiric transformation is made when certain viruses, bacteria and microorganisms are all hanging out together. Science hasn't been able to fully explain it and haven't been able to reproduce it artificially. Thank God. There is a part in DNA called a telomere. When you grow it's still long and shortens as new cells are made until its short enough to tell the body to stop growing. The body doesn't make more cells if the telomeres are gone. Its why humans get old and wrinkly." This was a way over simplified explanation but he wasn't sure the rest of his audience would be patient enough for a full on lesson on mitosis and cell division. 

"The virus invades the cells and creates a factory of sorts where is morphs the body's DNA to look more like the virus'. The microorganisms eat life force and poop out telomeres which the virus uses to repair the cells it's taken over. The microbes are the thing that makes vampires hungry because they aren't happy until they have their food. The virus is the part that does rapid healing because it can clone DNA and use the telomeres and material in the blood to do it. That's why Wonshik can have dislocated ribs one minute and be fine the next."

"Please don't break my ribs to find out. I still feel pain." Wonshik said, unimpressed with the example even though the rest of the employees snickered at Jaehwan's mimed boxing moves.

"The bacteria hangs out with the virus and eat any cells that don't get cloned right, kind of like a proof reader. They eat anything that doesn't have the virus' build, so that's why vampires don't get sick or get cancer."

"The challenge in studying this is that there are a ton of telomeres floating around in a vampire's system. While Hyuk's telomeres are still long I won't know for a while whether the microbes will copy that long Telomeres or if they have a set length of their own or if they will follow normal cell division rules. His cells won't reach equilibrium enough to know until next year probably."

Hyuk groaned and slid off his chair as if he didn't have bones anymore before huddling near Taekwoon's legs. "That's forever from now." He whispered. 

"Hyukkie, come with me for a sec." Hakyeon hauled Hyuk to his feet and dragged him towards the side of the lounge. 

"Hakyeon what are we doing?" the boy asked with obvious confusion. He leaned the boy against one of the columns and commanded that he stand up straight. Just then Hyuk caught on and Hakyeon nagged him about not to stand on his tip toes. He then pulled out a sharpie and marked a line at the boy's height. 

"Now we'll know." He said proudly standing back to let the others see, in his opinion, his grand but simple solution. Hongbin stifled a laugh. "You know he's going to be standing around in that spot all the time now, right? You are so cheesy." both Hyuk and Hakyeon stuck their tongues out in response and cracked everyone up with their perfect sync. "Whatever, its good and you all know it. Jaehwan is class adjourned?" Hakyeon asked haughtily.

"Yup, ok kiddies, time to get your blood drawn. How about we go by type this time?  
A's-Kai, Jaebum, Sunggyu, Youngji, Hana, Minhyuk, Eunkwang go with Wonshik.   
B's -Taemin, Hongbin, Jamie, Mimi and AB's - Suho, Hani, Sojin - you guys go with Hakyeon."  
O's-Jackson, Jinyoung, Jin, Bomi, Mina, Nayoung, Hyeyeon, Sally and Taekwoon-you're with me." 

. . .

The crowd of employees had disbursed after the blood samples were taken. Most of them had shifts starting in a couple minutes so they milled around and Hakyeon left to help take the drained and sick employees home. 

"Hyuk, come help me train these three to be feeders." Wonshik beckoned with a mischievous grin. 

Taekwoon sighed. "Wonshik, I didn't agree to this." 

"I'll agree for him" Hyuk interjected playfully. Taekwoon covered Hyuk's mouth and gave him a warning glare. Hyuk wasn't deterred and bit Taekwoon to get released. "Just try it." He pleaded with puppy dog eyes. "Please." Taekwoon's icy expression didn't melt as he messaged the site of his charges escape efforts. 

"Please" Wonshik pressed into to Taekwoon and copied Hyuk. "Yeah, Taekwoon, train with us. Please." Minhyuk said taking up Taekwoon's other side. Taekwoon was so done with them. His head tipped forward until enough of his hair fell in his face to hide him. 

"That's right, join us Taekwoon." Hongbin trolled is in a gravelly distorted voice. "Join us." Sunggyu chimed in with the same garbling. 

"Yah! Stop it. If you guys say it like that nobody will join you." Wonshik said chasing the veteran feeders off before herding the four back to the staff room. Taekwoon was his most difficult sheep but he placed the mini vampire on his back to help steer him in the right direction. He talked as he showed them different sections of the staff rooms. 

"So I'll go over some of the basics. First thing you do when you clock in is weigh in. You also do this any time you eat/drink something or change clothes. We use a really sensitive scale. Every time someone feeds on you, you get weighed to determine how much they took. If it's a group paying together wait until the whole group is done. If it's a sustenance feed remember to tap out if you start feeling dizzy or light headed." He carefully retrieved three small bags and handed them to each trainee, willing and unwilling. "Here is a silver piece for each of you. Use this if you've asked them to stop and they haven't. If that doesn't work scream bloody murder because that is a beast of a vampire if they hold on even after getting burned by silver. I've never seen it happen before but I've also never seen a kid vampire before either…" Wonshik said as he reached out and ruffled Hyuk's hair.

"Dress code is simple- don't come to work looking like a hobo or like you just stepped out of a kpop music video. Always wear pants and girls have to keep their chests covered. It needs to be clothing that makes bite spots accessible. So if you are confident about your physique feel free to go shirtless." 

Minhyuk lifted his shirt to reveal an impressive arrangement of muscle. "Like this?" Wonshik smirked and smacked the newby's stomach, and gave his approval. He looked at the other two who both declared they would be sticking with shirts. "Minhyuk you'll be the envy of all the shirt wearers." He said before continuing on with his explanation of company policy. "As for colors we recommend blacks, reds or browns to make laundry easier. The blood splattered look is heavily frowned upon. We'd like to stay away from the whole horror movie atmosphere."

The blood bar must have been a restaurant before because the next room they were led into looked like a commercial kitchen. Judging by the man working on some kind of stir fry, they still used it as such. Taekwoon set Hyuk down on the counter rolled his shoulders. It definitely felt like he was still growing. 

"Here is the part that causes a bit of friction. Your diet is important for your blood's taste. If your blood starts tasting gross Hakyeon gets pissy. He has fired people over that before. Serious, one guy wouldn't stop eating garlic and he got kicked out. Vampires think garlic is gross. Therefore Jin, wave Jin, will be heavily analyzing you diet. Please only eat what he tells you to. Most employees find it easiest to just eat what he makes. If you decide not to live in the dorms he packs food to take too. Jaehwan and Jin have this weird cooking science thing going-"

"Wait! Dorms are an option!" Eunkwang exclaimed. 

"Well yeah, Hakyeon owns the whole building and has a floor dedicated to employee housing." 

"We wouldn't have to share with Changsub and Hyunsik anymore!" Minhyuk said practically bouncing. 

"Where do we sign up!" Eunkwang asked unable to contain his rambunctious smile. Wonshik blinked at the sudden excited reaction. Taekwoon filled Wonshik in. 

"They are living at home while they go to university and they have five younger brothers. Their apartment is a little crowded." 

"You'll have to ask Hakyeon later. But for now we have more to go over." The vampire gave them an understanding smile before leading them back toward the main staff room. 

. . .


	9. Feeder 101 Part II

"Raise your hand if you have been bitten before." Wonshik told the trainees. Every one raised their hands. "O-k…share, who bit you?" Wonshik asked, not expecting the unanimous results. 

"Sungjae and Ilhoon, our youngest brothers, have always been biters. I have a scar on my side from play wrestling Ilhoon." Eunkwang reported. Minhyuk nodded in agreement. 

"Jaehwan bit me." Taekwoon added, then gestured to the mini vampire. "He gnaws on me all the time, not hard though. He was doing it even when I was carrying him around just now. Is there a wet spot on my shoulder?" Hyuk sheepishly apologized and patted the spot he had teething on. 

"It's a good control exercise for you Hyuk. Your turn, who bit you?" Wonshik asked. He wanted to know if it was going to be about the boy's maker, but instead Hyuk answered "Sungjae. I tried to take his cookies and he got back at me for it." 

"Anyone else?" Wonshik fished but Hyuk couldn't think of any other times. "Ilhoon hasn't bitten me but he had threatened me with it once when I said 'bite me' as a comeback." 

"Doesn't count. He nearly bit off my finger when I poked him on the nose." Minhyuk smiled, "Can you imagine him as a vampire? He would be a little terror." 

"Why are you smiling at that? He would be terrifying." Eunkwang asked, both confused and disturbed. Taekwoon and Hyuk agreed his opinion and a discussion opened up about what it would be like if any of the brothers became vampires. Wonshik now understood Jaehwan's difficulties from the staff meeting lesson. He rarely had multiple trainees at once. While he enjoyed the back and forth of the two tightly knit families it wasn't really the right time to be indulging in it. He needed to get them back on task. "Ok class focus. We're going to go over feeding etiquette."

"The main rule is easy. Always be polite. If its rude by human standards its usually rude by vampire standards too. When guests come in just be friendly and try to make conversation. They don't see you as a walking blood bag. Your companionship is just as important as the food. Take an interest in them. Vampires will talk non-stop about things they care about. An easy one is history. They are old and have seen a lot, lots of events, lots of cultural shifts, etc. Hobbies, travel and work are other good topics. I would stay away from topics like how they got turned or if they still have family around. Those usually aren't good memories. Most of them, when they hear family, will think of their coven members rather than biological relatives since they've been with them longer. A maker is like a parent so people use that for determining relatives and lineage. Hakyeon, Jaehwan and I are a coven. We're unusual though, because we don't all have the same maker, but we're still like brothers." 

"Anyway, here is the routine: you clock in/weigh in, hang out in the lounge until you are paired up with a customer. Make conversation and be attentive. Usually they will tell you how they would like you positioned for feeding but if it doesn't come up offer your forearm. Once they've fed ask if there is anything else they would like while they wait for you to come back. Go weigh in. Jaehwan does the math and creates a bill, which you bring back to the customer. I take their money when they go to leave."

"I'll start you guys out with regulars who aren't finicky so you can ease into it, but eventually you'll have to deal with some vampires who are very specific about what they expect. We'll leave new customers to the senior staff because they can pick up on subtle things that will keep them safe should things go wrong." 

"Most of our guests are very old and while they have good control they also have set habits and preferences. We try to be accommodating of those. Types of preferences vampires might have can be things like gender, body type, blood type, diet type, smell, fear response control, pain tolerance, emotional state, hormone levels, where they can bite, different levels of…intimacy isn't the right word…how much skin ship a person will put up with. If someone is making you really uncomfortable you can use your silver or call me over but before you do try to be tolerant and open minded first. Of course touching privates is a big no-no and I'll definitely kick people out if they try anything like that on you." 

"On a different note, out of curiosity, Hyuk do you have any preferences about blood? Like so far who's has tasted the best?" Hyuk mulled it over. "I guess Hongbin, but that might be because his was the first blood I had when I came in starving. He was really calm when I was scared. I don't want to scare people."

"He's pretty tough, huh?" Wonshik said with a gentle proudness. 

"Yeah." Hyuk said admiringly. The boy looked up to Hongbin, Taekwoon and Wonshik the most. They paid attention to him, they were the toughest people he knew and he felt safe around them. He still felt a bit paranoid about the gang finding him. "What about you guys?" Hyuk asked. 

"Well Jaehwan has the most sensitive palette. He prefers a strong red meat diet with lots of chili peppers to cover up any other subtle tastes he doesn't like. He also likes blood high in endorphins so he sometimes makes feeders run around the building for 15 minutes before he feeds. He's weird. Hakyeon likes blood type O and a diet high in citrus. He likes flowery scents and he is a bit of an octopus when it comes to skin ship so if he drinks from one of you sorry in advance. He also likes to have feeders who don't have good fear response control. As for me, I bite kind of hard so high pain tolerance is kind of a must. I like the texture of tight muscles where I bite. I prefer someone who has stayed well hydrated. Other than that I'm not picky." 

"That was way more detailed than I was expecting." Taekwoon remarked apprehensively. 

"I'm good at details like that. That's why I'm in charge of matching customers to feeders. So part of today is that I'll be creating a profile on you guys. But first we'll do bite training. The most common places to get bit are on the shoulders and neck. Arms are also fair game. It's not a good idea to let people bite your hands. There are a lot of little bones that are easy to break in that section. While vampire saliva does have rapid healing properties is doesn't heal broken bones. You'll be wearing pants so no worries about being bitten on the legs. I haven't met any vampires that like to bite a person's sides. Pretty sure Ilhoon is the only one of his kind."

"That's for sure." The brothers mumbled.

"Well, let's get to it." Wonshik decided on choosing Taekwoon first. He circled around to come up behind his chair and heavily planted his hands on both shoulders. 

"Wonshik I don't want to-aahh!" Taekwoon's protest was cut off by his head being tilted to the side and fangs sinking their way into the muscle midway up the side of his neck. Wonshik took several drags and Taekwoon whined the whole time. "Drama queen" Wonshik teased while licked the torn skin shut. Taekwoon squirmed under the sensation of the vampires firm tongue pressing on him. "That is a zero on pain tolerance, fear control, and you suck at skin ship. But you have nice muscle consistency and the soap you use is nice. Stick with that brand. What do you eat most of the time?"

"Ramen" Hyuk supplied dryly. Taekwoon glared at his charge. This didn't help his sulking from the earlier surprise attack. "What? Since its just you eating you don't really put much effort into cooking. You should take better care of yourself." He patronized. 

"That would explain the taste." 

"I hate you all." Taekwoon glowered while tucking his knees to his chest. He only received snickers instead of sympathy. 

"Who is next?" Wonshik asked the brothers. 

"I bet Eunkwang is going to taste like sunshine and rainbows." Minhyuk joked. 

"Let's find out." Wonshik said with an amused smile. He repeated the posture he used earlier. Eunkwang whined much less but still didn't make it out fully dignified. The others cracked up at his comically pained facial expressions. Even the moping Taekwoon smiled a little. 

"So any sunshine and rainbows?" Eunkwang questioned, embarrassed by being the evening's entertainment. 

"No, more like junk food." 

"I prefer the term study snacks." Eunkwang said sheepishly. "How bad is it?" He asked wincing. 

"Good news is that Jin and Jaehwan can clean up your diet and it will be fine. It's just very fatty right now. Kindy feels like your blood is mixed with butter. But your pain tolerance is higher than Taekwoon's. Your response control could use a little work judging by all the laughing. There was something else I was picking up on. I think Jaehwan called is cortisol, it’s a stress hormone. It's interesting, most of our feeders aren't very stressed, at least not after the first few months, so it's something I don't see very often."

"School? I have a big test I'm studying for that is on Wednesday." 

"That would definitely do it. What year are you?"

"Sophomore, I'm in the music and theater department. Since I'm trying for a double major I'll be in school for quite a while." 

"Ah, that’s good. I mean not for you I guess. It sucks that school is stressful, but we'll have that nice stress taste for a good number of years." Wonshik stumbled over his words before deciding it would be better to move on rather than dig himself into a hole. "Minhyuk, your turn." He announced and repeated the process. Minhyuk made no noises or weird facial expressions. 

"Wow, that is an extremely impressive pain tolerance and fear response control."

"I wasn't scared at all, if that's what you mean." Minhyuk said proudly. 

"Pretty much, fear response is how the body unconsciously reacts to pain: heart rate, breathing, adrenaline, making noise, freezing or struggling, even hypersensitivity. Like right now Eunkwang is still trying to get his heart rate down and Taekwoon is hypersensitive so he'll be more jumpy." 

Hyuk poked him suddenly to test the statement and as predicted Taekwoon was startled and slapped Hyuk's hand. "Not funny" He warned his giggling charge. 

"Yes it is." Wonshik grinned. "Hakyeon is going to be all over you." Taekwoon groaned and hid his face in the arm of the cushy chair.

"Anyway Minhyuk, I don't know how you stay so athletic with all of the junk food you eat but you've got good muscle tone. You're just as stressed as Eunkwang. Are you in school too?"

"Yeah, I'm a freshman. I'm on the school's gymnastics team, but I'll be losing my scholarship next semester because I hurt my wrist pretty bad and can't keep competing. Ironically I'm a physical therapy major. My first semester has been difficult because of that." Minhyuk answered dejectedly. Eunkwang rubbed his brother's arm sympathetically. The group was quiet for a few moments. 

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully we can keep you in school though. Pay is $x,xxx a month, but if you have to take an extended break its half. Hakyeon has a decent deal on the dorms and apartments. I think its $xxx a month for dorms and $xxx for apartments, that’s with meals built in which is why it’s a little higher. With that would school still be manageable?"

"Oh my God, yes!!" The brothers shouted. Eunkwang intertwined their hands "Minhyukkie! We can both stay in school!!" He whisper shouted. Minhyuk sniffled and hid his face in his brother's shoulder as Eunkwang rocked him softly. Their relief was so powerful it filled the air. Hyuk ran over to join the hug being that both of them were practically like his own older brothers anyway. Even the other two in the group started to get a little misty eyed. 

Taekwoon was busy rubbing his eyes and didn't even notice Wonshik had closed the distance until he felt his foot kicked. "How about it Taekwoon? Still don't want the job?" If it weren't for Wonshik's eyes being a little blood shot from held back tears his smile would have almost looked evil.


	10. Et Tu Brute

"Wow, he's such a sap." Hyuk said hypocritically as he returned to Taekwoon's side. 

"All fed and ready to go?" The care taker inquired, acting somewhat antsy. Hyuk gave him the bill and Taekwoon whispered "I want to get out of here before Hakyeon turns his attention on us and gets my clothes all bloody from all his crying." They both stifled laughs and sneaked their way toward the door. 

The said sap in question had been crying over how beautiful the pair's brotherly love was upon hearing about their situation. He had taken them to go look at the dorms while Hyuk went off to hang out with Jackson. Jaebum had dared Jackson to let Hyuk bite him which resulted in him being teased about his low pain tolerance as he tried to bear Hyuk's bite. In his defense Hyuk had bitten down a little harder than he should have, being egged on by the dare and all. 

The sentimental boss and his new employees returned, Hakyeon having retrieved a lease form. He had accidentally gotten tears on it and Wonshik teased him saying it made it look like they were signing some creepy cult contract. Being that Hakyeon was in a full on motherly mode it was definitely time to escape. Taekwoon left money on the counter rather than trying to attract any attention to get his change. 

The car ride was quiet until Hyuk broke the silence. "I don't really know much about money but that was a lot wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it's more than I'm making right now." Taekwoon murmured. 

"So are you going to give it a try? Being a feeder I mean. It's probably less tiring than that dumb office stuff, even if it hurts a little. We could hang out more too." Hyuk tried to persuade carefully. Taekwoon sighed and let the question hang in the air for a while as he stopped at a red light. He looked over at Hyuk who's eyes looked sad as if he thought he already knew the answer. 

"Et tu Brute?"

"I have no idea what that means." Hyuk said quietly, as the red refractions illuminating him turned to green. 

"Never mind, It’s a Shakespeare thing." Taekwoon dodged knowing full well that the horrid story would freak Hyuk out and add to the giant list of traumas he's already faced. Definitely not a play for kids.

He was being stubborn, but there was something unnerving about being touched so much. And the fact that everyone was telling him to take the job made him unconsciously rebellious too. Begrudgingly he had to admit, at least to himself, that Hyuk did have a point. While Hyuk watched anime later that night Taekwoon drafted his two weeks' notice. Just in case.

. . .

He had told his boss that his sister's surgery went well and for the time being he didn't need the over time. This was strictly a trial run.

Of course Hakyeon acted like an over joyed puppy, bouncing around his office and clinging to Taekwoon. "I said I would try it. I didn't say I was for sure on this." 

"Don't worry, I'll figure out how to persuade you." The vampire said cutely. "Oh, wait, I haven't gotten a taste yet." He then hugged Taekwoon, pinning his arms to his sides and bit down on his shoulder bared by his loose V neck t-shirt. His bite was much more gentle than Taekwoon was expecting for being squeezed by this boa constrictor. He still whined about it though. Hakyeon took a few gulps then licked the skin back to its original state. Hakyeon then popped a quick kiss on the bite spot and with a singsong-y voice he said "There all better!" Before running away laughing. "Come on, let's go talk to Jin and Jaehwan about what you should eat. Do you like oranges?" 

"This is the opposite of convincing." Taekwoon muttered only to himself. But Hakyeon heard it and paused with his hand on the door knob. He was struck with sudden inspiration. "I think I've got it. I know how to convince you!" He said with a conspiratorial smile. 

"If it's more kissing you can forget it." Taekwoon sneered. 

"Nope, better!" 

"Wonshik already guaranteed that trying to get in my pants was off limits. So really, if you are thinking that’s better, you can fuck off." He said flatly.

"Oh my gosh, no, that's not what I was thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter. It has nothing to do with that." The vampire dismissed incredulously before meandering down the hall. "I was thinking more like a shopping trip. We could get you new clothes that show off your shoulders." Taekwoon was too annoyed to put up with anymore of Hakyeon's ideas, especially any that had to do with his body.

"Hakyeon."

"Yes?"

"Shut up." 

"oh…ok." he replied feeling like a scolded puppy. 

. . .

Taekwoon now knew that he had been lied to. Half of the 'decent' people who liked low fear control were perverts. Half might have been an exaggeration. A good portion of the customers had been understanding and reassuring and made sure to keep feeding simple. But there were a few that gave the rest a bad name. They enjoyed trying to get reactions from him. While they didn't touch anything forbidden they did get pretty creative about other spots on his anatomy. They were completely amused with Taekwoon being quick to use his silver. 

The brothers were faring much better. Minhyuk was attractive and good at flattery so all the shy girls requested him. Eunkwang was requested by groups once word of his kind demeanor and abilities as a comedian spread. He was glad that his weird quirks were accepted and in demand. They were definitely playing to their strengths. Taekwoon wasn't pleased by what Wonshik determined his strengths were. According to him it was being squeamish and the danger that he might bite back. Apparently that was sexy. For this reason Taekwoon had banished Hyuk to the staff rooms to do homeschooling, under the guise of there being less distractions. 

It had been a slow night. Since it was slow Hongbin clocked off early and Taekwoon allowed Hyuk to skip lessons to play video games with Hongbin. Hakyeon was making his rounds chatting with his regulars and checking on his feeders. 

"YEONNIE!!!" 

The conversation he was in stopped and Hakyeon's eyes went wide. "Oh shit"

"Kibum! What are you doing here?" Hakyeon excused himself and plastered on a smile, but his teeth were gritted. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Hakyeon hugged the interruption who seemed to be enjoying making Hakyeon tense. 

"Because I love surprising my brother. You have the best reactions. I was passing through and I thought I would come say hel-helloooo- and what is this? You got newbies and didn't tell me!" The vampire said, his gaze finding the three new feeders. 

"Kibum, they are new, be nice." Hakyeon growled. 

"When am I ever nice? Oh, hell they look delicious." Kibum replied with a gleeful smile and Hakyeon face palmed. "Are you blood drunk?" Hakyeon snarled. "Not yet" Kibum said with a wink. 

The way he was looking at them like a crazed predator was making Taekwoon nervous and he silently wished not to be picked. Kibum strolled behind the couch Taekwoon was seated on and he felt the urge to lean forward and away. Before he could Kibum's hand covered his eyes. His other hand snaked around to the front of his neck. Taekwoon's heart rate spiked at the sinister touch and he squeezed his silver waiting for the bite to come. "I'll be nice and cover your eyes so you don't have to see people's reactions when you scream for me." The vampire whispered. Taekwoon was really wishing to be back in the office making photo copies over being manhandled by Hakyeon's creepy brother. He wanted his hands off of him right now. 

"Stop trying to scare your food." Hakyeon scolded. "You aren’t going to make anyone scream, just eat already." Kibum snickered and bit in. Being unable to take in visual cues made the experience strange. Hakyeon's voice had grounded him for a moment but his brother quickly took back all the remaining sensory input. Despite having had some practice by now he couldn't help trembling a little and quietly whining. He wouldn't scream even though the way Kibum's hand tightened on his esophagus froze him in fear. He panicked when he tried to use his silver and dropped it. "Yah!, you sadist! Stop being so nasty. Don't make me kick you out." Kibum let Taekwoon push him off and he turned his attention to soothing his riled up brother. "Taekwoon, you're still bleeding." Hakyeon fussed with concern. Taekwoon walked away trying not to run, not even bothering to look for his silver. "I'll have Jaehwan take care of it." 

. . .

"Come get him, right now! He's being a nuisance and harassing my staff." Hakyeon demanded of the person on the other side of the line. He wasn't concerned about his volume, in fact the louder the better.

"Oh Hakyeon I'm sorry. I gave him one job and he fucked it up, huh? I'll be over soon but until then try to play nice. He is our family after all." The voice said and sighed. "I was hoping he would try to patch things up with you. You guys used to be so close." 

"That was before he became a belligerent prick. Seriously there are plenty of war zones he can go play in or he could pick up a new hobby. He's a total dick when he's bored."

"He wanted to come home, he misses us all being together."

"He wants me to go play soldier with him is what he wants. Anyway I've banished him to the basement until he can sober up. Hopefully then he can stop fucking up his job which happens to be what exactly?"

"It was only that on his way home he was supposed to tell you that I want to meet this child vampire." Hakyeon stutter stepped where he had been pacing in his office. He didn't know why but he had a sudden realization he didn't want his maker to meet Hyuk. 

"Hello?"

"You have a fucking cell phone. Tell me yourself!"

"Well I am now. Why don't you bring them over for Thanksgiving?"

"When the hell did you start celebrating Thanksgiving? Are you going to make a big feast or something? Seriously what the hell would you even do?" 

"The human probably does Thanksgiving."

"He's busy."

"Hakyeon, I'm trying. Now what's really going on?" 

Hakyeon huffed before saying "Mom, just come get your deranged son." Then abruptly hung up. He didn't really know what was going on with himself either. But his next step was to try and make it up to Taekwoon.

. . .

"Taekwoon, wait up!" Hakyeon called after the human who was currently trying to discreetly leave out the back of the building. "I can out run you. Just stop and hear me out." Taekwoon paused already a few yards down the alley.

"You know if no one was there he would have killed me. He would have enjoyed it too." Taekwoon's voice wavered, control was threatening to give out. 

"But I was there, and I will always be there." Hakyeon said, desperately wanting to be understood. "I'm sending him away. He isn't coming back here."

"And what about the next psychopath and the next? You can't control this stuff and it's going to get me killed. I'm done. I'm out. Hyuk and I will figure out how to do this some other way." 

"Sure I can't control everything but I can be more responsive when people start to cross the line on you."

"Not good enough. You and Wonshik have sucked at it so far. You even find it funny." Taekwoon started to leave and was several paces away when Hakyeon called out.

"I know what will convince you to stay." 

"Nothing" Taekwoon called over his shoulder.

"Free blood for Hyuk and free room and board if you want it." Taekwoon paused but didn't turn around. 

"If you come back tomorrow I'll take it as a yes." They would be comfortable again but was it really worth it? 

. . .

Jaehwan had no idea how Hakyeon had sweet talked Taekwoon into coming back after yesterday's disaster. It didn't help that a particularly annoying customer had been too enthusiastic about licking her bite shut. He was curled up in one of the comfy chairs in the staff room hooked to an IV. He looked depleted and depressed. "Jaehwan…I feel just…I feel so violated. I don't think I can keep doing this after all."

"That bad?" Jaehwan asked and Taekwoon nodded mournfully. 

"Ok, I know how to help, but you have to promise not to tell anyone that you are using what I give you. Seriously, take this to your grave. Promise?" Jaehwan demanded. It was the most serious Taekwoon had ever seen him. 

"Ok? Promise." He agreed feeling very perplexed. 

Jaehwan returned wearing medical gloves to handle what looked like a jar of shimmery lotion. "What is it?" Taekwoon was curious about the items surrounded by such secrecy. 

"It’s a cream infused with silver. Use it sparingly, only put it on sensitive areas you don't want people touching. Don’t put it on your neck and shoulders. It's potent and a glob the size of a pea would be enough to cover your whole torso. After you've put it on leave the jar at home, don't bring it to work. If Hakyeon ever finds out you are using it he will probably kill us. He would cry like a baby but he would still do it. He would see it as a huge betrayal and it would wreck him. The last time he was in such a funk and killed somebody was when a friend of his framed him for stealing and had his hand cut off. I know it's weird but it's that level. He sliced off the guy's head and started having bad dreams all the time. For a couple years he only drank from people who were opium addicts. It was a very difficult time." Jaehwan looked off into the distance like a shell shocked war victim. Jaehwan dropped the jar into Taekwoon's hands and morosely disposed of his gloves. 

"Got it. Silver cream equals ultimate betrayal and death." Taekwoon stated uncomfortably, delicately holding the jar with just his fingertips. 

"I know it's hard to believe right now but things will get better. Thanks for giving this another shot. Your shift is probably over huh? Here I'll take out the needle and you can go home and get some rest." Taekwoon thanked him, then left for the night. 

"That was probably your most over the top performance yet." Wonshik said, he and Hakyeon sliding around the doorframe from where they had been listening. 

"Thanks for giving him the cream. They were giving him such a hard time I felt bad watching him suffer." Hakyeon said. "But if you use Seokyeon 's story again I will decapitate you and if I have a bad dream today I will wake you up for a hit of opium."

"That's not funny" Jaehwan glared.

"Neither is using my real life pains for you crazy ass stunts."

"I needed to make it realistic. I didn't want him trying to share or trying to cake it on. Our customers would leave Vixx in droves if they were getting burned all the time. Giving this to him is risky on several levels. Besides if you were more careful he wouldn't need it. Control your dumb ass brother."

"That was a onetime screw up and I had our maker come get him. With the silver cream he won't have to worry about the rest of them. But bringing Seokyeon into this was sick. Silver cream is hardly the same level as cutting off my hand. 

"Well it grew back."

"Screw you, those was the most painful years of my life. It takes a long time for bone cells to grow. I couldn't use my hand for four years after that." They both stopped, locked in a stare down. Wonshik tested the waters.

"Please don't become an opium addict again just because Jaehwan is an idiot. Besides I'm pretty sure you scared the shit out of Taekwoon so it ended up working out. You have to admit the look on his face was priceless." Wonshik tried to get them to laugh it off but it was far beyond that point. 

"Fine, be that way. You're both being assholes. Go fight in the alley or something stupid like that." Wonshik used his talent as a bouncer and shoved them outside. They were due for a brawl. It seems like they needed one every five years and it was always over something stupid. It had been longer than that and they had let more serious things get pent up. 

Still dredging up that memory was below the belt. Hakyeon never did talk about his bad dreams even in a drugged state. They didn't know if it was from the pain of his body reknitting itself together in ways it wasn't meant to, or if it was from the pain of succumbing to the anger that had led him to carry out revenge on his last biological relative. Never ask about family. It's usually not a good memory. 

It was hard to get under Jaehwan's skin. Knowing Hakyeon didn't intercede when he should have had pissed him off. Wonshik, sure, he let things work themselves out most of the time so he didn't expect as much. But being that Hakyeon had the reputation for being over protective, it hurt Jaehwan to see him acting so out of character. He wanted to remind Hakyeon about what happened when he acted out of character and that was the point of the story. Seeing Taekwoon being abused was also a trigger for bad memories in Jaehwan. 

Wonshik checked on them a half hour later and they were sitting next to each other on some palettes looking dazed. 

"Why did you let us do that? I can't feel my face." Hakyeon complained resting his head on Jaehwan's shoulder. Wonshik was glad to see them holding hands. It meant it was over and they had made up. 

"I think I hurt my pride. Why does he always go for the neck" Jaehwan said looking lost. 

They would be fine. 

. . .


	11. Mysterious Origins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of getting over 1000 hits I though I might do a fun little short. Thanks everybody! If I could hug you all I would <3

The origin of the nerf guns was a mystery. Hyuk and Sungjae had promised not to shoot customers but after a little while had decided mutiny would be more fun. Soon no one was safe. The boys had created a barricade out of benches in the middle nook and were sniping anyone coming within their range. And if that wasn't enough, much to Hakyeon's chagrin, Wonshik was smuggling back the nerf darts that had been fired. After being pegged in the side of the head he rounded on them. "You're supposed to helping your brothers upstairs. Stop it and get back to work." He said with a seething glare. 

"But we got kicked out." Sungjae complained. "What else are we supposed to do?" With a devil's grin Hyuk chimed in "We could always go shoot the people coming out of the night club two blocks over."

"Criminals in the making" Hakyeon growled through gritted teeth as he advanced on the barricade. The boys scrambled to take cover under the couch, having discovered earlier that they could fit. Cries of "Hakyeon's trying to kill us! Help! Save us!" were being wailed out from the nook as Hakyeon jumped the barricade and crouched to snatch the trouble makers. They were uselessly making their last stand and firing all their remaining shots at the savage boss. What he was having more of an issue catching flailing limbs without ripping them. He started with Hyuk who was more durable, pulling on his ankle as he clung to the bottom of the couch giggling. A set of arms restrained the vampire and dragged him back over the barricade. "Hakyeon, you suck at being a vampire. So much for being a feared warrior. They haven't landed a hit on me yet, and not for lack of trying." The tomboy vampire boasted. 

"Thanks for saving us Miss Amber!" The boys shouted with beaming smiles. She saluted and they returned the posture clumsily. "At ease troops. Carry on." She said smugly leading the frustrated adult away. "Hey Hakyeon." Wonshik called tauntingly to gain attention before dropping more spongy projectiles over the barricade. Amber fell over laughing and accidentally released the huffy vampire who advanced on the member of his coven. Wonshik gleefully caught him in a hug, finding amusement in the grumbled threats and wriggling of the elder. "Hakyeon, I think after being such a bad sport you can kiss your dignity goodbye. Go do some paperwork in your office. I'll keep an eye on them. It's been a long night huh?" Wonshik soothed. He rubbed Hakyeon's back and the rage flowed away. Hakyeon was a sucker for touch. Sungjae, on the other hand, was useless at reading situations and enjoyed have a monster to fight. He fired a nerf dart and Hakyeon caught it before it could hit Wonshik and pitched it back at the boy's face. Upon impact the boy just laughed. His laugh was replaced with fear when Hakyeon bared his fangs and emanated a low growl from over Wonshik's shoulder. "Oh my gosh, Hakyeon they are kids." He cupped the boss' face and told him fondly "It's much more peaceful in your office. Go on." 

The boys calmed down after they lost their main play toy to the sanctuary. They had more allies than victims now so the battle was winding down. After noticing the quiet for the first time Bomi brought a blood bag and juice box over as offerings to the little gods of war so that she may peacefully check on them. It would be another three hours before sunrise but Hyuk was conked out next to a snoring Sungjae, both cocooned in blankets. Bomi beckoned Wonshik over and they cooed over how cute the kids were when they weren't being little terrorists.


	12. Grounded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since ch 11 was short here is a long chapter. This one took a while because I re-wrote it five times. I wasn't happy with any of the scenarios until this one.

Taekwoon was due for some much needed rest. He slept all day Thanksgiving day, only waking to call his mom and vicariously all the family at their house. They just watched movies that night and Jin had sent Thanksgiving-ish food with Taekwoon. Hyuk was restless and melancholy. Being that what his missed the most about being human was eating, any holiday that rotated around food had been his favorite. He stared at Taekwoon's food bitterly to the point of making Taekwoon feel weirded out. "I can eat something else if you are going to be that mad at the turkey."  
   
Hyuk groaned and slunk away. "I want turkey." He cried melodramatically before collapsing on the couch to pout. "I miss you turkey." He mumbled. Taekwoon rolled his eyes. What was he going to do with this kid? For the next few hours every time Taekwoon looked over at Hyuk the boy would moan a long drawn out "Tuurrkeeeey" with a creepy expression on his face. After a full night of Hyuk acting pitiful Taekwoon did a google search on something festive for them to do on Friday night. They needed a distraction and to mix things up a bit.  
   
.  .  .  
   
Hyuk was slowly growing more confident. He still waddled around but he was starting to get how to glide on his ice skates. Taekwoon pulled him along for a few laps around the rink before making Hyuk try it on his own. He was getting the hang of it but kept telling Taekwoon how bratty he was for skating just out of reach and backwards. He could catch Hyuk if he was losing his balance that way though. Since the crowd was starting to grow Taekwoon took Hyuk to the center of the rink to learn how change directions by skating in slow circles around the boy. "When I get the hang of this I'm going to kick your ass." He said with feigned anger, given away by his laughing. This was the most fun night out they had had since Halloween. Sure, they had gone out shopping or hung out at the park or to a movie, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.   
   
Hyuk started to skitter a bit and Taekwoon picked him up under the boy's arms and spun him. "Again, again!" He demanded with a wide grin.  
   
"Nope, unlike you I eat, and I'll puke it all up if I get dizzy. You're out of luck."  
   
"Aww! Meanie."  
   
"You want me to puke? Who is the mean one here?"  
   
The boy giggled "Gross!"  
   
"yeah, so I'm maxed out on spinning." As he was talking Hyuk was leaning around him to look at something. Taekwoon turned around in time to see a rather skinny man hit another who looked twice his size. The larger and more muscular man fell against the waist high wall surrounding the rink. People with any sense were skating away from the commotion and calling the cops. But Hyuk decided now was a great time to harangue strangers. Taekwoon decided he was going to have revisit the stranger danger talk with Hyuk as he tried to haul Hyuk away from the brawl. "But that guy isn't a vampire and he is!" Hyuk gestured at the two. "It's not fair." 

"Hyuk this is something you should leave to adults. Getting involved is dangerous. Let's go."

"I can fix it."

"What do you mean you can fix it?"

"Watch." 

"Wait, Hyuk! What the actual ffuu… Child! Get back here!" Taekwoon growled. Hyuk came alongside the vampire after he had pushed the human into the wall again. "What makes you think you can say things like that? Huh? Not so funny now, is it. Take your bigot shit elsewhere. Seriously how can you even-" He cut short his sentence when Hyuk yanked a few times on his sleeve. "What's going on?" He asked earnestly. Taekwoon was about to have a heart attack, and as the boy spoke the guardian picked him up to leave. Before Taekwoon could get out of arms reach the vampire hooked a finger into the boy's scarf to reveal the lower half of his face. "Smile." He demanded looking more stunned than angry now. Hyuk gave him a wide toothy smile. "huh…" was the only response they got. He let go and Taekwoon skated backwards warily watching the stranger. Hyuk swung awkwardly in Taekwoon's hugged grasp. "No more punching!" Hyuk called out as they were getting off the rink. "Hyuk this not ok. You are grounded." He hissed as he set the child down on a bench and started hurriedly taking the skates off of his small feet. 

"I'm not going to hurt you, you know. He was just talking shit about our kind. You might have a legitimate reason to hate us but he didn't." Taekwoon startled at the stranger's presence but didn't look up from the laces he was working on. 

"We don't hate vampires." Hyuk said, confused. "We have lots of vampire friends."

"Hyuk, enough. You. you should probably go before the cops come after you." Taekwoon muttered then side eyed the stranger. 

"Probably, that guy is crying like a sissy and tattling on me to them as we speak." He said with a smirk then wiped at his eyes. 

"Are you crying?" Hyuk asked. 

"Hyuk! Don't be rude. No more talking." Taekwoon commanded. He sat down on the bench next to Hyuk to work on his own laces when he paused over a sniffling noise. "Wait…are you crying?" It was baffling to see a small statured man punch goliath into a wall over what? Hurt feelings? 

"No" His expression said don't be ridiculous. His face had red smears. The contradiction on this guy was just too much and Taekwoon was done with today. This was none of his business and he just wanted to go home. He even wanted to skip taking Hyuk to Vixx for his dinner, but the little twerp had gotten so into the book he was reading Wednesday night that he didn't get around to feeding. Taekwoon took both sets of skates in one hand and with the other guided Hyuk to the counter to trade out their rentals for their shoes. His socks were getting wet. The day started out so well too…

. . .

"What are you doing here?" Hyuk asked perplexed.

Of course the idiot was here. Of course. 

"Same for you? Taekwoon doesn't work tonight." Hakyeon cut in. 

"I'm hungry." Hyuk replied with a shrug plopping down on the chair opposite of them. 

"Me too." The stranger replied cutely. He was reclined on Hakyeon's chest and the two were sprawled out on the one of the couches. 

"And how do you know each other?" Hakyeon asked incredulously. 

"We met at the ice rink tonight." Hyuk said.

"Yeah, I told you I went out. You should have come with me." The stranger whined. 

"I thought Mom was going and I didn't really want to see her." Hakyeon sighed and continued play with the other one's hair. 

"Well, maybe if you were with him he wouldn't have gotten the cops called on himself." Taekwoon grumbled dryly. 

"Kibum was there?" Hakyeon asked looking disgusted.

"No, brother and mom are at home complaining that it's too cold and that ice skating is cheesy. They're no fun." 

"Figures this one is related to you. I hope he's just weird and not a psychopath like the other one. My head hurts. I'm going to go take a nap. If you see Hyuk playing video games take them away." Taekwoon said feeling depleted of all patience. He was grateful that Vixx was a village willing to help him take care of his foster child when he needed it, never mind the fact that the village idiot ran the place. He disappeared behind the waterfall wall as Hakyeon called after him. 

"I think he's still mad at me. Kibum decided it would be a great idea to come in here blood drunk and terrorize my staff on Tuesday. He was a total creep to Taekwoon. Now why the hell were the cops called? I expect it of out of Kibum, but you're the good child….Where did we go wrong?" Hakyeon said patting his brother's head roughly and looking unamused by the innocent smile that he was being giving. 

"Is he grounded too?" Hyuk asked. 

"Ok, wait too much is happening, why are you grounded?" Hakyeon asked, feeling disoriented.

"I'm not fully sure. Taekwoon was saying something about that I can't just go talk to any random vampire I see and that I need to be more careful. Something, something, stranger danger. I was a little lost at what he was trying to say."

"Right….I'm assuming that the random vampire is you. Why am I grounding you?" Hakyeon asked pointedly at his brother. "Someone please start at the beginning." He requested before slumping on to the arm rest. 

"Taekwoon was teaching me how to skate and all of a sudden that guy was there and he punched this huge dude. Seriously huge. He sent the guy flying into the wall. twice. I went up to tell him to stop because the guy was human and it wasn't fair, but Taekwoon grabbed me before I could say anything beyond 'what's going on.' And I showed him my teeth and then the cops came and when they were talking to the big guy, he got away. And yeah…that's what happened." Hyuk completed his disjointed story. 

"Ok, so one, you were too willing to show off that you are a vampire and two, you just wander into the middle of a fight. That's dangerous. You put yourself in danger and that is probably why you are grounded Hyuk. And you…were punching big guys because why?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. The big guy was talking shit about vampires." Hakyeon gave Hyuk a disapproving glare. "I mean crap. He was talking crap." Hyuk corrected his wording. 

"That's somewhat better."

"You would have punched him too." His brother said. 

"Maybe, but I wouldn't do it out in the open. There is already too much vampire discrimination as it is."

"…I think Taekwoon would get mad at me for punching someone. I thought he was getting grounded for that." Hyuk's interjection made Hakyeon sheepish.

"That's right. It's better to not hit people at all. That's is why Ryeowook is grounded. Very good observation." Hakyeon said scratching the back of his neck. These two weren't the only ones needing to be more careful. 

"Rawr!" Hands clamped down on Hyuk's ribs and he fell over giggling. Minhyuk affectionately tickled his de facto little brother. "I need your help. I drew Sungjae for Christmas. What should I get him?" 

"Drew?" Hakyeon looked confused. 

"Well with seven kids Mom and Dad figured it would be easier to do a secret Santa than to have everyone one going broke. I'm stealing Hyuk." Minhyuk effortlessly lifted the boy onto his shoulders and walked off with Hakyeon reminding Hyuk he was grounded and no video games. Over their shoulders they could hear Minhyuk shout "Hey, at least let me set you down before you start biting, seriously you're acting as if we never feed you!" followed by a gleeful "You smells like turkey!" 

Ryeowook giggled "I've only just met him, but I can tell he's got everyone wrapped around his little finger. What a cute kid. The guy with him didn't smell like his family. Where are they in all of this?"

"Dead. The gang that turned Hyuk used him to kill his own mother. They killed his father too. That’s why he shouldn't just be walking up to strange vampires who could potentially be his maker. He probably has birth family still around but I doubt they know he's alive. I think he's better off staying with Taekwoon anyway. He's been really good at helping Hyuk feel like a normal kid after all the trauma he's faced." 

"Poor kid…"

"Yeah…" Hakyeon agreed then after a pause went back to interrogating Ryeowook "So…are you going to tell me what the guy said that pissed you off so much?"

"I happened to be skating nearby when he was bragging to his friends about splashing holy water on a vampire girl. I asked him how he can be so callous against someone whose never done anything to him. He said that it was only a matter of time before she tried to hurt someone. He also said that vampires aren't human so it doesn't matter what you do to them. Then he started making dead vampire jokes. They weren't funny."

"No…no I'm sure they weren't" Hakyeon looked down at Ryeowook wide eyed and wrapped his arms around him just a little tighter. "Call me when Mom and Ki bail on you. I'll come. I'm sorry all that happened."

"What's with you not wanting to see Mom anyway? I mean, beyond the usual. She said that when she came and got Kibum you pretty much picked him up, threw him in the car and walked away without a word. What did she do?" 

"You mean her unnatural clinginess isn't enough?" Pot. Kettle. Black.

"Come on…" Ryeowook gave him his best puppy dog eyes. 

"She was asking about Hyuk. She's still spying on me. I didn't tell her anything about how I have half pint as a new customer and she sent Ki to come here and set up a dinner date. When I called her to come get him she seriously suggested that we have them over for Thanksgiving. Never mind the fact that Taekwoon would be the only one eating and none of us have even attempted cooking in several centuries." Hakyeon grumbled. 

"I don't think Mom even knew how to cook when she was human. She would probably burn down the house." Ryeowook smirked at the thought of her cussing out the smoke detector. "Are you sure it wasn't just a grapevine thing? You have a lot of customers." Ryeowook suggested. 

"I've been worried about that for other reasons but I'm pretty sure Mom is just being clingy again and her curiosity blew her cover. I thought after surrendering the territory she would stop the spy network stuff. She hasn't conned her way into a royal family or gotten into any politics, so there isn't any reason to have it. And she definitely shouldn't be using it on me. 

"What can I say? She never stopped crushing on you. She's stubborn." Ryeowook said. Dealing with the woman they called Mother was a headache sometimes. The only reason they called their maker mom in the first place was to help her understand that Hakyeon wanted to keep things platonic between them. They had hoped she would be repelled by the idea of having an eodipus complex. "She's probably still just lonely after her last feeder died. She went to go see her in the nursing home every day toward the end." 

"That's too bad, I didn't know Ji You died. Does she have a new one?" 

"Yeah, nice girl, her name is Surin."

"That's good. Hopefully the new girl can distract her for a while. Oh, on a different note do you know anyone who might have seen a child vampire before? We're still not sure if he will grow up or not." 

"Not that I can think of. If I do I'll let you know." Ryeowook frowned, feeling disappointed about being unhelpful. 

"I see, I felt like I knew everyone but looking at it now a good portion of my customers are younger than us. And a lot of the old bats that are still alive are hard to find. They don't like visitors and they haven't really figured out the whole phone thing."

"Mom always forgets hers. She insists that she only wants the land line because these new things are too confusing since they don't have buttons. I know you don't want to see her but she is kinda a relic. Maybe you should ask her." 

"Last resort."

"Ha, he'll be 18 before then."

"You ask."

"Aaaww, do I have to?"

"You've met him, it will be a reasonable thing to ask."

"But she'll get jealous that I was here and demand I bring her. I'm tired of being on Mom duty." The younger said with a mischievous grin "Maybe I'll just go to the airport on my way home and skip the going home part. I've thought about trying something new at a university anyway. I could go to somewhere cold in China or Canada or something. Ki can be on Mom duty now that he's home." 

"Your passport is at home. They are more strict about that kind of thing these days. Where has Ki been anyway?"

"Causing trouble in the Congo." 

"Figures." 

It wasn't uncommon for Ryeowook to go on traveling sprees either, it was the reason why he hadn't joined Hakyeon's coven. They would never actually see him. They spent the rest of the night scrolling through cities, colleges and majors on their phones. Seeing the world was the type of thing that made Ryeowook feel better. 

Hakyeon did not feel better. Hearing about the poor girl who got splashed by holy water brought back bad memories. His first encounter with a vampire had been as a child when he witnessed some dumb fucks from his neighborhood drag a poor vampire woman into the sunlight. He watched in horror as her skin quickly blistered and singed. It looked like she was being roasted alive but there was no fire. The assholes had just left her charred, mummy-esque body in the road and Seokyeon had taken pity on her and buried her body properly. They said the same things and it made him feel sick to his stomach and as helpless as when he was a child. 

He wanted to find the girl spoken of earlier and take her in. Maybe he did need to spend time with Kibum to stem his bleeding heart. Being around Ryeowook had made him sentimental. 

. . .


	13. No Hiding

Taekwoon reluctantly opened his eyes when he was tapped on the top of his head. Hongbin was turned sideways looking over his coworker. "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping. Actually hiding, how many brothers does Hakyeon have?"

"Just the two. Ryeowook is pretty harmless though. A little eccentric but he's probably more bearable than Hakyeon at times."

"Harmless? Really? Because I only met him when he punched out a guy twice his size and Hyuk decided that was a perfect time to make friends. By the way Hyuk is grounded from video games, so you two will have to do something else."

"Serious? I knew Ryeowook was sensitive but usually he just cries. I can't believe he got into a fist fight." 

Wonshik was wondering through and nearly fell over laughing at Hongbin's comment. "He did what? Seriously? He hasn't done something like that since we stopped carrying around swords." 

"Geez, how old are you guys?" Taekwoon asked as he suppressed a yawn. 

"I'm 450-ish, give or take a couple years. People didn't track that kind of thing as closely back then. I lived a pretty sheltered life on the family farm and joined San E's army before I really knew much about the world."

"Who is San E?" Hongbin asked looking confused and Taekwoon's expression was similar but still sleepy. Neither remembered that name from their history classes. Someone who amassed an army would probably make the text books. 

"He was a vampire war lord. He turned me for war, ironically against Hakyeon's clan. We don't have the intimate relationship other covens do because I was batch made. So there aren't any hard feelings about me being here. These days he runs a shipping company. I still see him around from time to time."

"What is his company called?" Hongbin asked, a sudden hard edge entering his tone. Wonshik tapped at his chin as he tried to think of it.

"mm, I don't remember. Why?" Wonshik asked. He came and perched himself on a chair across from the two feeders. 

"Before I worked here I was a dock worker. I quit because there was some shady shit going on with the company."

"I wouldn't put it past San E to do something shady. What happened?"

"They told us we were moving palettes of pharmaceuticals. I think they said it was a cancer drug but people were approaching us, asking for us to magically make a box fall out of the shrink wrap. They were willing to pay a small fortune. I asked if it was to help one of their loved ones with cancer. They laughed as if I was doing an outrageous comedy skit. They said that these drugs were recreational and highly illegal and had nothing to do with cancer. Hell, they would probably give you cancer. I quit the next day. I didn't want to get mixed up in that type of thing. I know smuggling is pretty normal in dock work but they gave me the serious heebie-jeebies. I don't know how involved the company was but it screamed gang activity. A week later I heard there was a turf battle in the warehouse I used to work in and four of my coworkers died in it. That was a number of years ago though. I don't know what's been happening with it since then."

"What was the company called?" Wonshik asked with a slight frown on his face. 

"Jang Enterprises."

"I could ask if that's his but I don't really know what we'd do with that info."

"Nah, don't worry about it. It was too long ago for the cops to care about it anyway." Even after Hongbin's dismissal Wonshik still looked deep in thought. With a sharp inhale he brought himself out of his reverie. "Well, I need to get back to it. With Jaehwan out running errands and Hakyeon getting all cozy with Ryeowook, they won't be any help to run things. Let's get you weighed in so I can put together that bill." After Wonshik had gotten the feeder squared away and breezed back to work, Hongbin chose a chair near Taekwoon and took up a similar posture. 

"Do you think Wonshik will notice if I hide out here for a little while?"

"Your funeral." Taekwoon responded playfully, now feeling a little more awake after hearing Hongbin's story about the nefarious goings of this Jang company. "Oh, by the way thanks for hanging out with Hyuk the other night. I'm glad he wasn't here for that."

"Any time, he's a fun kid and he's straight up diabolical at video games."

"It means a lot to him. I have a feeling you're the super hero now and not me. Since I've grounded him I'm probably just the bossy parent."

"Nah, he thinks about you a lot. He said if it wasn't for you he would really feel like an orphan." Taekwoon was surprised and touched. Hongbin continued. "I know the feeling, my grandma did the same thing. We lived at a Buddhist temple so I hung out with the monks, kinda the same way Hyuk hangs out with us feeders."

"No way" Taekwoon laughed. "You? a monk?"

"Shut up, I was a kid. It's not like I picked it." Then Hongbin remembered. "Oh, I almost forgot, I want to take Hyuk shopping sometime, probably after he's not grounded anymore. He wants to get you a Christmas present and I told him I would help. He was worried since he didn't have money and he thought he would have to steal it from you to go buy it."

Taekwoon rolled his eyes and facepalmed. "What am I going to do with this kid?" 

"Don't worry, he was really freaked out at the thought of doing it. He figured you wouldn't miss your spare change but he had been chewing on it so it wasn't really usable anymore."

"He's been doing what?" Taekwoon asked somewhat taken aback. 

"He can bite through metal. He says chewing on coins makes him feel better when he gets cravings. He's gotten pretty precise about it. You didn't know?"

"No, like I said bossy parent. He doesn't tell me everything. I still don't really know anything about when he got taken or what his turning was like. All I know is that its haunting him."

"If I get any details I'll let you know."

"Thanks."

. . .

With Taekwoon back to work the next night and Hakyeon felt the need to prove he would follow up on his promise. 

Taekwoon had been right. He did find it a little funny. Some of the customers that were misbehaving were ridiculously bad at seduction, not that they realized it. Taekwoon's displeasure was unintentionally comical, pushing away wondering hands, pulling clothing back to a place of decency, restraining faces too near to his own. Even Hakyeon's own habit of a quick peck to a freshly healed wound made him jolt, though Hakyeon mostly did it as motherly teasing, like kissing a boo-boo. 

Judging by the baffled and itchy recoils of the vampires, Taekwoon had a fair amount of success with the strategic placement of the silver cream. It seemed like he applied thin layers to his waist and lower back, ears, lips, and the point where he wanted them to stop if they were trying to reach down his shirt. Like his colleagues he wore button up shirts and sweaters with most of the buttons undone, t-shirts with loose collars that could be tipped off the shoulder easily and zip up hoodies with nothing underneath, so getting hands underneath wasn't a difficult feat. Unfortunately the silver cream didn't stop them from going after areas that were still clothed. 

Hakyeon watched the customers more and made sure to stay in close proximity so he could give the customer a warning tap on the shoulder. That was usually enough to make them shy and they would wrap up quickly and let the feeder get back to his comfort zone. Day by day trust was gradually being built back up and he was avoiding the vampire less and less. Hakyeon, being the clingy person he was, celebrated every small victory. 

. . .

His biggest victory was when Taekwoon decided to turn in his two weeks' notice at the office. Taekwoon was not looking forward to telling Hakyeon that. Maybe one of the others would do it for him so he didn't get squeezed to death. "Jaehwan, can I ask you something?" Taekwoon gingerly pulled a chair up to Jaehwan's desk. 

"No, now what's the question?" He teased with a cheery smile. 

"It's just…um…I was thinking about working here full time and quitting the office job…How should I go about doing that?"

"You look nervous. Of course you can work here full time. You really think we wouldn't let you? I for one am glad you'll be with us full time. I've been a little worried about your sleep deprivation and coffee intake. It's kind of a taste you either love or hate and it’s a harder sell. I mean I wasn't worried strictly from a business sense. As your doctor I advise you get the proper amount of sleep. As a friend you mumble less when you've slept and its more fun to talk to you." Jaehwan babbled in his regular bubbly and completely at ease fashion.

"I don't know if I really say much more either way though." Taekwoon envied the vampire's ability to make conversation. He made it look so effortless. 

"You're more responsive though. And you'll actually laugh at my jokes. When you've slept I can tell if you are actually listening or not. That kind of thing."

"Ah, I didn't realize." Taekwoon responded shyly. He fidgeted, still trying to work up to his second question. Jaehwan eyed him suspicious of Taekwoon's body language.

"You're going to ask for a raise too, huh?" Jaehwan guessed with a smirk.

"What? No, no I just…"

Jaehwan's expression slumped a little with his next guess. "Is it the customers? Is the silver cream not working out?"

"No, I-"

"Is Hakyeon still letting them pick on you?"

"No, it's just that I don't really want to be the one to tell him." Jaehwan busted out laughing. 

"Regardless of who tells him you'll still get hugged, aggressively and lovingly. There's no escaping that one. Unfortunately it's kind of a package deal with this job. I bet he's out there hugging someone right now. Go check." Taekwoon peaked around the waterfall wall and retreated. 

"Eunji." He reported. 

"Ha, yeah, I'm not surprised at all. And he'll be extra touchy with you since you're his type." Taekwoon looked somewhat horrified. "Food preference type, dummy. He even conned you into putting a ton of citrus into your diet plan."

"Maybe I should stop eating that."

"Wouldn't matter." Taekwoon groaned and hid his face with his hands. 

Jaehwan laughed at how hopeless Taekwoon looked, like he was reconsidering all of his life choices. "It will make things easier for you. I think you would burn out trying to do both in the long run. Should I go tell him or do you want to stick with the part time thing?" Taekwoon groaned and buried his face in his arms on the desk. It looked like he was trying to merge himself into the desk for protection. "Yes, please tell him. Where do I hide?"

"Vampires have a more powerful sense of smell than bloodhounds. We aren’t as good as bears though. Long story short there is no hiding from the love of Cha Hakyeon." Taekwoon's only response was another groan. "Wait here. We'll just rip it off like a band aid." Jaehwan was tempted to give Taekwoon an out by reminding him of his silver but the situation just seemed a little too funny. As predicted Hakyeon completely entangled himself around Taekwoon like an octopus. 

. . .

[](https://imgur.com/PCIN5zT)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this pic. All credit goes to Jan.


	14. Limitless

The day after learning of Taekwoon's plan to turn in his two weeks' notice, Hakyeon hatched a, in his opinion, brilliant plan. He put an order in for a keg and copious types of alcohol and posted signs advertising the special event which invited customers as well. Technically he was celebrating having new feeders but if might show too much favoritism so he called it a Christmas party. He probably should have started with getting volunteers for imbibing the alcohol for the vampires to enjoy. He probably should have discussed it with his coven members too. Leave it to Hakyeon to get carried away.

"Don't we need a liquor license or something?" Jin pointed out. He wasn't opposed to the drinking, he just didn't like it when people messed with his custom built and precise meal plans. 

"Not if everyone keeps their mouths shut."

Wonshik entered the kitchen with the freshly taken down signs. "Nice try, go look into it."

"Fine. Stupid bureaucracy, they make simple things too fucking difficult." Hakyeon muttered with annoyance at having to deal with red tape to ruin his fun and slinked away to his office.

"Do you think I should tell him we can just hire a bar tending service? They usually carry their own permits for such things." Jin asked with a mix of amusement and concern. He and Wonshik looked at each other and laughed conspiratorially.

"Nah, let him suffer for a bit while I get a head count on who all wants to participate. He forgets that Jaehwan and I have shares in the business. The only reason we let him call himself boss is because he holds the 50% and we each have 25%. Don't get me wrong, Vixx is his baby, but we're invested too."

"It all sounds very…normal. In the boring business-y way. 

"Well yeah, I mean we have to keep things legal and pay taxes. Your cousin is the best accountant ever. I love him, he's always berating Hakyeon on his bookkeeping skill every time he comes in. 'You'd think after living for hundreds of years you would have this figured out. Go back to school!" Wonshik imitated. "Yoongi is fun. Anyway are you in?" 

. . .

Taekwoon took a deep breath. And then another. And then another. And then

"Pst, get on with it already!" Kyungsoo hissed. He and Yixing were peaking over a cubicle and Yixing smiled encouragingly. "You got this!" He whisper yelled. Normally people feel at ease when quitting, finally able to tell their boss where to stick it. But for some reason Taekwoon was staring at his boss' door like it was his first time at Vixx. Kyungsoo threw a thick eraser at him to prod him on and Taekwoon knocked on the door before Kyungsoo lobbed a heavier object, this time not at him but at the cheap particle board obstruction in front of him. The two snickered like school children and ducked out of sight while the boss beckoned the employee to come in. 

"Sir, I, um, I have something to tell you." He clumsily handed him the letter he had carefully worded so he could maintain good will if Vixx didn't pan out. Curious the man's meaty fingers unfolded the trifold printer paper and read. His eye brows rose at the strange turn of events. "Well…that's one way to start a morning." He said staring off and taking a sip of coffee. "So, care to tell me why you've decided to quit?"

He had decided on a half-truth. "One of my close friends made me an offer and the job has really nice benefits. Quite the pay bump too." 

"Ah, I see. It sounds like a good deal. Can I come too? Pay bumps are always nice." He joked. 

Taekwoon laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. "You'd have to ask Hakyeon about that one." Snowballs in hell had better odds.

"Well tell me about this job. What is it you'll be doing?" Time for the other half.

"Administrative work. My friend owns and manages a few buildings and businesses but he's not very good at keeping his paper work in line. I'll be taking on the task of taming it all back into the file cabinet so it's useable." So far so good. 

"It sounds like you've got your work cut out for you. What type of businesses does he own?" Shit. 

"Um, his main one is a bar, nightclub type of place."

"Ah, I think I like this guy already." The intimidating man chuckled. "Where's it at? Maybe that would be a good place for our Christmas party. I was thinking not this Friday but the next. Does that sound like a good send off?"

"I, um, don't think it would really be the best place for a Christmas party. How about we do a karaoke bar? That last on you took us out to after that big deadline was really fun." 

"Taekwoon, what are you hiding?" The man asked with a sly grin. "Let me guess, it's strictly adult entertainment. The type of party we would only be inviting the guys to? I didn't take you for the strip club sort but this sounds interesting."

"Oh, no, it's not that." Taekwoon's face lost its color, mortified at the conclusion the nasty old man came to. His employer shrugged as if he hadn't said anything off putting. 

"I still want to check it out though. Give me the directions." He looked at Taekwoon with an expectant smile. 

"It's on East Main and 13th. It's called Vixx." Taekwoon gulped as the man opposite him scratched it down on top of the report he was reading. How professional. At least maybe the guy would lose it amongst the clutter on his desk and forget about it. To his dismay though his boss ripped the margin off the paper and taped it to the side of his computer. Shit. 

"What's a matter? You look frazzled?" He tilted his head in confusion. 

"It's just that it's a bit exclusive." Taekwoon said with an awkward laugh. "I've only been there with Hakyeon. That's probably the only reason I got in." 

"You have to know the owner to get in? What kind of dumb business plan is that?" Taekwoon just shrugged in response. "I'm not sure but it's been working for him. He doesn't even advertise." 

"It just makes me all the more curious. How do I meet the Hakyeon character?" Character was definitely the right word. Why wasn't this man quitting? He was as persistent as a used car sales man. They had never really been friends so he didn't understand why he was pushing the matter. It was making him tense. He was quitting but it felt like if he said the wrong thing he'd get fired. So much for good will. 

"What am I saying? who needs to be a VIP when you have the right hand man to get you in. What night do you want to go?" Fuckity, Fuck, Fuck, Shit, Fuck. Taekwoon gaped and knew this had gone too far. This was the guy that sucked up to all their well off customers and would always pour you another glass no matter how much you wanted the alcohol to stop. Drinking with the rich and famous was probably his ultimate dream, apparently add strippers and he was in heaven. 

"I can't" Taekwoon exhaled breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "The stuff they serve on the menu isn't meant for humans." Taekwoon hoped that was the end and he wouldn't have to admit he was on the menu. 

"A blood bar." His face slid from excited to repulsed. It was the dramatic switch that had always been fear inducing for the denizens of the cube farm. "You're working for those disgusting blood suckers? Is that why you've been so tired. You've been letting them chomp on you, haven't you? That's sick. You have a lot of nerve lying straight to my face, all for some filthy killers. You're embarrassed, aren’t you. You should be, you greedy little fuck. The money isn't worth shit if its drenched in blood. You're an insignificant insect to them, don't ever try to fool yourself into thinking you're more. I don't know why the government continues to tolerate those leeches. If you're getting cuddly with that type, don't worry about the two weeks. Get the fuck out." The man bellowed. 

Yixing quietly zipped in while the boss was distracted by trying to get around his clutter and yanked his paralyzed office mate out of the monster's path. "Probably a good time to escape." Kyungsoo said with sarcasm rendered ineffective by his concern for his friend. They ignored all their coworkers frozen in place by the tumultuous theatrics. Kyungsoo and Yixing quickly ushered him out the front door to avoid the beating his former boss wanted to give the feeder. He had no regard for work place safety anymore. He was a walking OSHA violation and aspiring inmate. Kyungsoo created the illusion that they had run down the side walk toward the parking lot but in the last second pulled them into the bushes. The raging boss passed them completely unaware. 

"Taekwoon, give me your car keys and meet me in the back. It's the blue one over there right?" Yixing asked with panicked eyes. Taekwoon nodded. "When he goes back in I'll go get it. You hide somewhere in the back. Kyungsoo, go in and grab Taekwoon's stuff and meet me out back." With any luck they were going to get him out of there safe. Yixing was light and swift and while Kyungsoo was short he was the most intimidating person employed there and no one would stop him from rapidly nabbing Taekwoon's personal effects. Now Taekwoon just needed to flee to the back of the building. Once there he jumped the short wood fence so he could see who all came into play. Kyungsoo rushed down the steps and looked around for signs of life. Taekwoon whistled and Kyungsoo snapped around to follow the sound. 

"Pretty sure everything that dumb fuck has done in the last 10 minutes was illegal." Kyungsoo growled as he set the trash can on the ground. Taekwoon looked at it but said nothing. "What? It was all I could find. At least I took the bag out." Kyungsoo grumbled. He clamped a hand down on Taekwoon's shoulder and a relieved smiled slowly spread over his face. "You are a crazy son of a bitch." 

"Are you kidding? You still work for crazy. I was trying to do this peacefully." 

"I hope the vampires treat you well. If they don't, text me and I'll…do…something…"

"I'll miss you too Kyungsoo." Taekwoon said warmly as he quickly hugged the little spitfire. Two minutes later Yixing pulled around. 

"I know it was nothing like that but somehow it still felt like grand theft auto." He said as he stepped out of the still running car. "It feels like a heist. Maybe I should do a career change and become a getaway driver."

"I bet you didn't even go over 20mph." Kyungsoo said dryly and added an eye roll for good measure. 

"You would feel bad taking things from people." Taekwoon reminded him and rubbed the good natured office mate's back. Yixing smiled sweetly and then his face lit up as he looked in the trash can. "Oh, good you got our goodbye present." Yixing carefully held up a vase Taekwoon hadn't noticed yet. "I hope you didn't shake it too much. Lucky bamboo. Seems like you could use some luck. And a betta fishy. You should probably name him Kyungsoo. I'll be the bamboo! Name the bamboo Yixing." He said cutely. 

"Sure, why not, name an aggressive fish Kyungsoo jr." The irritable office mate muttered as he stuck his hands in his pockets. 

"Thanks guys." Taekwoon said warmly and gave Yixing a hug. 

"Stay safe. If you ever want to hit a karaoke bar call us." he replied and squeezed him a little before stepping back. 

"You guys too. Be safe with that thing wandering around in there." Taekwoon smiled. 

"Yeah, when I quit I'm just going to leave a note and not come back in. I don't need that shit." Kyungsoo said as he looked at the back door with narrowed eyes. 

"If my neck wasn't so sensitive I'd go with you." Yixing told Taekwoon as he also eyed the door with apprehension. 

"Me too. I hate to say it but I can't be a feeder. I hit people too much. I would get fired the first night on the job." 

"You guys will come up with something that suits you. It will probably pay better too." Taekwoon said reassuringly. "For now pay your bills and try to stay out of his way." 

"Yeah, I'm surprised no one called the cops." Yixing said over his shoulder as he summoned the courage to open the door. Kyungsoo did it for him. "Don't worry, that's still on the table." He said as he gave Taekwoon one last smirk. 

. . .

Taekwoon didn't know much about fish, or plants for that matter, but Kyungsoo Jr. didn't seem too rattled by the morning's events. Taekwoon was. He opened and closed his hands willing the adrenaline to subside. Hyuk had taken the bed so Taekwoon curled up on the couch and watched the flowy creature putter around his square bowl. Yixing had picked a one that had a white body and fins that were a mist of pinks streaked with lilac hues. It was too pretty and feminine to be called Kyungsoo. The bamboo didn't need a name so he spliced his friends' names together. Yi Soo. That would suit her. He didn't know if it was a her but that's what it would be either way. She reminded him of the ruffled petals of an iris. 

In their group text he typed "I'm home. Are you guys ok?"

Yixing quickly responded. "Shush, he's on the prowl. Trying to keep our heads down. I'll text you tonight."

This worried him but at least he knew they were alive and not being rushed to the hospital for their involvement. They had kept him sane in the dreary office. He wished he could get them out. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest knowing he didn't have to go back. He now had free time. He could do anything. Since the options were somewhat limitless he laid motionless and indecisive. His brain storm had been more of a fog. He couldn't seem to move past the words. 

Was he embarrassed? Is that why he lied about Vixx? Was he scared of being judged? Was he scared of the anger and hatred he encountered? It was a mix and it was a mix he never wanted Hyuk to face. There wasn't much diversity in his home town so he didn't really understand why there was so much animosity for people who were different in one way or another. For as many vicious vampires there were, there were just as many peaceful ones. For as many asshole humans as there were, there were kind ones. There was nothing to be embarrassed about, so why did he lie? He felt like he was chasing his thoughts around in circles, trying to hang onto something lucid and definitive. 

He was driving himself crazy. He got up and went to check in on Hyuk. The boy was snoring softly, blankets twisted around him. Taekwoon smoothed out the blankets and sat next to the boy to pet his hair. He wanted to be braver and not care about what others thought. He might not be able to do it for himself but he would do whatever it took to protect his kid from hate filled people like his former boss.

. . .


	15. Originals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one of those chapters I wasn't completely satisfied with but I wanted to move the story along...

Hyuk was thankful he now had the option to curl up next to Taekwoon after a nightmare since their sleep schedules overlapped again. Where ever Taekwoon fell asleep, whether the bed or couch, Hyuk would invariably migrate to his side after waking, looking for an anchor to reality. It was fine as long as Hyuk didn't wake him and luckily for him Taekwoon was a heavy sleeper. If woken, Taekwoon would ask him about the dream or after hugs, send him back to his original location. With Taekwoon present Hyuk was able to tell when it had just been a dream and that he wasn't back at the warehouse or his old apartment. He could remember where he was with Taekwoon's soft, familiar breathing in the darkness nearby. He felt safe now. No one would come take him away while Taekwoon was there. It was the best he had slept in a long while. 

It felt more like how they had been before when Hyuk would seek him out on the weekend days and hang out while Taekwoon worked on the pretty, deep blue car. The name was something like Torino or Tostitos, he couldn't remember. All he knew is that it looked cool, all shiny with light blue stripes on the sides. They would go for ice cream in it and enjoy the summer sunlight. It was awesome having Taekwoon home and awake at the same time as him. The adult had been in a much better mood now that he was sleeping well, had been a better listener, and was back to singing as he did chores. The apartment was much cleaner now. Everything was perfect.

But no. 

Now Taekwoon wanted to ruin a good thing by moving to an apartment, in the Vixx building of all places, so that Hyuk 'could have his own room.'

"But I don't want to move. I won't get to see Sungjae!" 

"Ugh, Hyuk I'm trying but my back is killing me and you should probably have your own room anyway."

"Get a more comfortable couch. Problem solved. Besides, I'm fine not having my own room."

"Let me re-phrase. I want my own room. You've pretty much taken over mine. You have to admit we're getting a little crowded here." 

If a social worker ever saw their living arrangements Taekwoon would probably be stuck with all kinds of disgraceful labels. He needed to get Hyuk his own room at the very least now that they weren't taking turns sleeping on the bed. 

"So?" Hyuk pouted. "There is probably another word for it...cozy. It's cozy. How about this, we could get bunk beds. We could take Eunkwang and Minhyuk's old one now that they aren't using it."

"Arg. Child, you are killing me. We need to get over to Vixx. Let's talk about this later."

.  .  .

"Jaehwan do you have any muscle relaxers? My back is killing me." Taekwoon slumped down in the chair next to Jaehwan's desk. 

"Sure. Try not to take these for too long though. You'll feel better when you get your own bed."

"Hyuk is pissed about the move."

"He is the kid, you are the adult."

"He's a kid with severe PTSD. That plays a factor I think."

"yeah, I guess so...mind if I try something?"

"Go for it." Taekwoon said wearily, ready to pass the baton on convincing Hyuk. Jaehwan went in search of the grumpy little boy. 

"Hey Wonshik have you seen where Hyuk is?"

"Yup, hiding in the bench in the nook closest to the front door. He's sneaked his DS here even though he's grounded. I was getting tired of his shitty attitude so I pretended I didn't notice."

"Nice parenting skills." He stuck out his tongue and the younger vampire glared. 'Nice parenting skills' he mocked in a dumb voice that was supposed to be Jaehwan's. "Not my job, I just make sure he doesn't cause trouble while he's here." Wonshik grumbled to himself, but Mimi, the nearest feeder, still mocked him anyway. "Aw Wonshik are you a daddy? How cute! Who's the baby mama? Is it Jaehwan or Hakyeon? Or are you the baby mama?"

"What…that's….that's not even physically possible. Shut up." He retorted with a disgusted expression.

"Well actually with enough surgery…." Jaehwan chipped in, not fazed by being implicated in this strange baby making conversation. 

"Oh for fucks sake. You can't do surgery on a vampire. The cut tries to heal automatically. You can't hold a vampire long enough to get anything done. I learned that from you, asshole." 

"I could have been lying." Jaehwan winked at Mimi who was now his co-conspirator and both giggled at Wonshik's annoyed expression. 

"You were trying to use me as your test subject. You didn't succeed in doing any surgery on me."

"That was back in the 1970's." He teased.

"You'd be surprised about how much technology has advanced." Mimi helped. Jaehwan hi-fived her.

"You two are dicks. No one is having any babies. Jaehwan why don't you go show off your parenting skills?" Wonshik said with a sly revenge grin. Mimi swapped side. "I want to see this!"

"No, actually I need to have a little heart to heart with Hyuk. I don't think he would appreciate spectators." 

"Aw. Good luck." Mimi pouted understandingly. 

Jaehwan sat down next to the bench and knocked a pattern on the wooden side. "Hyukkie, I know you're in there." He prodded after not receiving a reply. He carefully opened the lid. "Go away." Hyuk mumbled and tried to pull the lid shut.

"Hyuk, I didn't want to have to tell you the real reason you're moving here, but here it goes. You aren't safe at your apartment anymore. Your smell around the building should have faded by now, especially since another family moved in next door. They will know you are there. And there has been gang activity in your neighborhood. Taekwoon didn't want to scare you but I think you need to know what the real reason is. It's not fair to mad at Taekwoon for something that is out of his control." Jaehwan had no idea if it was true or not but he was starting to get into operation 'scare the pissy-ness out of Hyuk'. He made a mental note to have Taekwoon corroborate with his story later. 

"Why didn't he tell me?" Hyuk said cracking the lid to peer out. 

"The same reason you don't tell him about your dreams or panic attacks. You don't want to worry him. But keeping him in the dark is worrying him more. He knows you are hurting but if you won't talk to him about it he feels pretty lost on how to make things better. He doesn't want you to go through that stuff alone. You do want him to tell you this kind of stuff, don't you?"

"No" Hyuk mumbled and dropped the lid. Well so much for that. It was a bad idea to use Hyuk's PTSD against him anyway. 

"Ok, well if you want to talk you know where to find me…" Jaehwan trailed off and wandered off, grateful that the others were too busy with other things to notice him shuffle to the staff rooms. He was a little mad at himself for bluffing too much lately. 

Truthfully Hyuk hadn't even thought about Taekwoon trying to keep secrets to not worry him. He didn't actually know if he wanted to know or not. He just wanted Jaehwan to shut up and go away. 

Hyuk felt justified in his reasons. He was hiding a part of himself that felt ugly and scary. It would be better to keep Taekwoon away from that monster side of himself wouldn't it? It was the side of him that only took and destroyed, it was the side that did bad things. It only wanted blood.

. . .

Hyuk sat in the middle of the bed pouting, determined to show Taekwoon just how much he didn't want to move to the Vixx building. Taekwoon packed around him, leaving Hyuk's things for last because every time he touched them Hyuk would launch at him and wrestle the things away into his nest. Hyuk had tried to sabotage all of his efforts. Tossing things out of the boxes or putting them back, squashing the card board vessels and even scattering Legos all over the floor. Taekwoon just stared at the ground before ordering Hyuk to clean it up or he would vacuum them up. They were now also in his nest temporarily safe from Taekwoon's horrible boxes. Taekwoon was being selfish. He should have known better than to try to pack while Hyuk was home. With every rebellious act his grounding period was getting longer. He was now grounded up to Christmas. 

Taekwoon was extremely grateful that the Vixx coven had reluctantly agreed to baby sit while he moved their stuff the next day. With how bratty Hyuk was being he felt bad sticking them with moody child. With Hongbin, Eunkwang and Minhyuk things would go faster. They were coming over after 3pm when the student's finished their classes for the day. Upon getting mostly everything into boxes he looked around his apartment feeling strange with the walls bare and furniture disassembled (the only thing he had truly succeeded at with Hyuk being a little terror). As much as he wanted to strangle Jaehwan for trying to scare his kid, he had been tempted to do the same. He wished Hyuk would let him in a little more. He had tried to not rip familiar things away from Hyuk but wondered if they were haunting him. He prayed that getting a fresh start would make him feel more secure and that this move was the right move. He was so curious and concerned about the dreams. 

. . .

With their mother volunteering them, all seven brothers turned up to move things. It was the fastest moving experience Taekwoon had ever seen. They even reassembled his furniture and had the moving truck returned in time to go to the large family's apartment for dinner. Hongbin wondered how the parents didn't have a heart attack when their younger boys boisterously busted through the front door in a mix of yelling, complaining and laughing. 

"Hi Mama." Minhyuk kissed his mother's cheek as he and the oldest three of their excursion wandered into the kitchen. 

"Hi Baby." She greeted warmly. She was always happy to see her eldest and most well behaved boys home. "Hi Taekwoon honey! I hope the boys were more help than trouble." 

"They were a big help. Thanks for sending them. We're all done. My apartment is completely bare. They even set up my furniture in the new place."

"Goodness, really?" 

"Really." He said with a bashful smile as she hugged him.

"Were they good enough to earn dessert?" She whispered warily. 

"For once, yes." Eunkwang confirmed as he took his turn to hug his mother. 

"Dinner smells really good ma'am" Hongbin said shyly. 

"Aw, thank you sweetie. I don't know who you are but you get a hug too." She smiled brightly. A timer beeped frantically and she shooed them out of the kitchen. Upon hearing the sound there were varying levels of haste to the table. Settings were race, meander, getting dragged/nagged to the table. Taekwoon and Hongbin were fenced in between the wall, the table, and the two middle brothers Hyunsik and Changsub. After a quick prayer everyone dug into the food like starved hyenas.

"So you guys are all living together now?" Changsub asked.

"No, Eunkwang and I are rooming together. They both have their own apartments."

"Can I move in with you?" Sungjae asked, forgetting he wasn't supposed to mention Hyuk's living status. How the brothers that had seen him kept it a secret was anyone's guess. Poor Hyunsik and Changsub had no idea. 

"Nope. You're stuck in the sardine can." Eunkwang said with a warning look. At the mention of sardine can all of the younger brothers clamored about their possible merits as a roommate, hoping to jump into freer waters. Their father blew a shrill whistle. He literally carried a whistle on the lanyard around his neck. He wasn't even a sports coach. 

It was immediately quiet. "No one is going anywhere. Eat your food and thank your mother for cooking." A murmur of thanks went around the table. 

"Yeah, sorry guys I'm kind of a private person." Hongbin said sheepishly. Taekwoon softly agreed. 

"Ah, men of mystery. That's one of the things that has always made you so sexy Taekwoon." The sly woman blew him a kiss and Taekwoon choked on his food out of surprise. Peniel leaned out and pretended to intercept the kiss and pressed it to his cheek. This lightened the mood after being chastised earlier. Even the boys' father was laughing. He was a stern man but always enjoyed his wife's forwardness. 

"Well, we'll miss you Taekwoon. You've been a good and very, very patient neighbor. I can't believe you let all of the boys take a ride in your car and gave them lessons on taking care of the engine. They wouldn't stop drooling over it." The stern man said earnestly. 

"Anytime." Taekwoon smiled, bashful at the appreciation. 

"Oh, he's so good with kids. You know for the longest time I thought you were Hyuk's father with the way he followed you around." The woman mentioned. As soon as she did she looked over and searched Taekwoon's expression in fear of mentioning all of this too soon. 

Taekwoon's smile felt a bit broken. "Well, Mr. Han was a good dad to Hyuk in his own way." He felt bad for the original parents not getting much credit. It was odd to think about. He realized that Hyuk had barely mentioned them since their deaths and it seemed like he was doing everything he could to forget them. The box with the keep sakes Taekwoon had rounded up was the only one that Hyuk hadn't tried to unpack. That probably wasn't healthy. At this rate maybe he would need to risk getting a counselor for Hyuk because he felt like there was so much he didn't know about in how to help Hyuk. The internet would only take him so far. 

"Hyuk said that if you didn't cook for him he would have died from eating only pop tarts, but you can live on pop tarts right?" Sungjae, their resident Hyuk expert, interjected. Taekwoon was thankful for the boy's obliviousness that re-routed the conversation away from a more serious direction. 

"No dummy. You have to eat a variety of stuff to get the right nutrients or else you get malnutrition and die." Changsub admonished. 

"That's right baby. You have to eat your vegetables or else you will die a slow, painful death." His mother said in a way that both soothed and threatened. Sungjae pouted with disgust at the one section of food remaining on his plate. "Son, be grateful for the green beans. They will save your life."

"Can't I just be a vampire like-" Ilhoon came to the rescue this time pinching Sungjae hard on the ear. "Eww! Nobody wants you sucking on them. You would find a way to always make it weird."

"Yeah, you would probably get kicked out of Vixx." Minhyuk teased. It took a group effort to keep Sungjae quiet. 

For rest of the meal the brothers would find ways to bicker and the whistle would halt the round. The adults would talk for a bit and then the process started all over again. It was a little tiring. It felt like they were at a sports match. Taekwoon and Hongbin were glad to have the quietness of the car to retreat to. "Makes me glad I had sisters." Taekwoon joked as he started the ignition. "Me too." Hongbin agreed with a smirk. 

"It felt weird pretending not to know Hyuk. They really don't know that Hyuk's still with you do they?" Hongbin asked tentatively. 

"No, I was worried about too many people knowing. The youngest three know because Hyuk showed up outside their window wanting to play but that's it. We haven't had the conversation, because well, you've seen their family, but I'm pretty sure they think I'm moving because of the grief of losing him. Hyuk's grandparents even had a casket for Hyuk at his parent's funeral. It caused quite the stir since no one had ever found him to know if he was dead or alive."

"Wow, that's pretty messed up." 

"Yeah, I even knew where he was but seeing the casket made me feel sick to my stomach. Just thinking about how close to death he had been. I had to go home and hug him for a few hours. He looked at me like I was stupid and clingy. Has he…has he mentioned anything about his parents?"

"Now that you mention it, no."

"It has me concerned that he doesn't. Well everything he's been doing has me concerned. If it weren't for sunlight this whole moving thing would have been screwed." 

"What were they like? His parents?" 

It was nice to have someone to talk to about all of this stuff. Hongbin was a very understanding friend. Hyuk needed something like this. 

. . .


	16. Angel

In hind sight Hyuk could see why the skating rink incident had made Taekwoon so anxious. The realization was affecting his dreams. It would start out like the night had begun but then all of a sudden no one was on the rink and the noxious medicine smell would surround him. Hands would pull him around and then there was so much blood beneath his feet. He would see her, and then wake up shaking and sweating. Oddly he still felt so cold. He would wake up feeling the same frantic drive to find…something. 

Today the dream was no different, but when he woke he was alone, in the dark, no sound. He found the edge of the bed and fought back the blankets hoping to find a wall and then a door. He wanted out of where ever he was trapped. Time seemed to crawl on as he felt along the carpet, finally bumping into a wall. He felt panicked as he reached a corner and then another and then an additional wave of panic as he roamed the door looking for the door knob. It scared the shit out of him when the door opened and a bleary eyed Jaehwan poked his head in. "What are you doing?"

Even though light was introduced Hyuk felt disoriented. He scooted out of the way of the door and asked "Where am I? I couldn't find the door. How is it so dark here?"

"You are in our apartment which is in the basement. You sounded like something out of a horror movie trying to get out this room. It scared the shit out of me to wake up to you yelling."

"I had a nightmare." Jaehwan wanted to say that Hyuk was the nightmare but didn't want to push the difficult but vulnerable child. "Come on." Hyuk shakily got to his feet and Jaehwan had to catch him. He hefted up the boy up and carried him to their living room and plopped down on the couch. "kay, spill, what was the dream about?" Hyuk looked away not wanting to 'spill'. 

"Taekwoon says that you won't tell him what you dream about and it worries him. You're eventually going to have to tell someone Hyuk. It will hurt you not to." 

"I don't want to scare Taekwoon. That's why I don't tell him anything. I don't like worrying him but I don't like...I don't want to think about what I was."

"What you were?"

"I...I can't do this. I don't want to say it. I can't say it. It hurts too much. I'm just scared that I'll slip up some time and become it again."

"I had the same fear you did. My maker, Hyo Shin, taught me medicine. We were dealing with a serious epidemic out break and I became sick. I was dying and he turned me. I woke up so hungry. I don't like to think about what I did then either."

"What did...you do?"

"Do you know what people mean when they say someone is an angel of death?"

"Not really."

"I was killing those that weren't going to get better. Some people say it's merciful. That the person won't suffer anymore. I didn't feel very merciful. I was just hungry and Hyo Shin directed me so that I didn't go after the ones that would live. It took me a long time to learn control since I was used to getting what I wanted, when I wanted it. You're like a child prodigy in that respect. You developed control really quickly."

"I didn't want to hurt Taekwoon and I wanted to see my friends without attacking them. I hurt Namjoo. Not really bad. Sungjae has a good soccer kick and got me off of her. I think she's still a little scared of me though."

"Hyukkie I know you don't want to talk about it but who else have you hurt?" At the question Hyuk tried to bolt from Jaehwan's hug but the older vampire held him in an iron grasp. "I know you'll hate me but sooner or later it needs to be said out loud. I know what happened. I'll say it. They killed your mom by using you. Your hunger killed your mom. The hunger was too overwhelming and you lost control. It's said, Hyuk. It's in the open. I love you. We all still love you. You don't have to be ashamed." Jaehwan's words were drowned out by the most massive fit he had ever seen. Hyuk was throwing a full on temper tantrum; screaming, crying, kicking and hitting whatever he could reach. His body arched and lurched in the strain of trying to escape. If it wasn't another vampire holding him, he would have put someone in the hospital. 

"It's ok Hyukkie, it's ok, let it out. It's ok to cry. Please cry." Jaehwan whispered, not even trying to restrain his own tears. Hyuk's screams were louder than the one he woke Jaehwan with. The raw, feral emotion reanimated Jaehwan's own terror and anxiety he thought he had recovered from so long ago. 

"What the hell is going on?" Hakyeon demanded. Both he and Wonshik were staring at the scene with disturbed expressions. 

"You'll have to let him ride it out. Sorry guys."

"That's not an explanation. Let him go Jaehwan." 

"No, not yet." He begged. If he could wear Hyuk out maybe he could finally work on talking about what he went through.

"No, stop, you aren't helping him like this." Hakyeon yelled with biting rage. Jaehwan went weak. Maybe he was wrong. How did Hyo Shin handle him when he was trying to come to terms with this? Did he do the same? He let Hyuk slip out of his hold and the boy instinctually sought out the pitch black guest room and slammed the door shut. 

"What the hell was that?" Jaehwan ignored Hakyeon's own building tantrum and tried to catch his breath. 

"Jaehwan! What was-" Jaehwan stood and cut Hakyeon off. 

"I'm pretty sure that that was the first time anyone said out loud what killed his mother. It needs to be said out loud. He can't keep bottling all of this up. He's fighting all of our efforts to talk about it. He's scared about what we'll think of him. He hates himself for what he did and wants to forget. I've been there so don't bullshit me." 

Jaehwan had thick strands of red running down his face and couldn't seem to catch his breath no matter how much he tried. Wonshik pulled him into a tight embrace and Jaehwan felt the dam rupture on his pent up sorrow. He went limp, feeling drained. Hakyeon ran his fingers through Jaehwan's hair and mumbled an apology. Wonshik prayed that this would work on Hyuk. If not Taekwoon was going to kill them. 

. . .

With how Hyuk had been acting lately Taekwoon was sure the vampires would be thoroughly irate and ready to eject Hyuk back into his care forcefully. He was not expecting a concerned Wonshik, brooding Hakyeon and an extremely sheepish Jaehwan. 

"Hey Taekwoon! Is it really past sun down already? Time sure flies when you're…unconscious. Never mind. All moved in?" Jaehwan said, looking like he was trying to brace for the worst. 

"How bad was he?" Taekwoon asked apprehensively and confused about the different demeanors of the three. 

"Actually he was an angel. Really quiet." Jaehwan laughed nervously.

"Hah, No. More like a screaming angel. There was nothing quiet about what we woke up to." Wonshik corrected wearily. "We were the of the cause of it though."

"What? Did you have to drug him to get him to shut up?" Taekwoon asked jokingly. 

"No, it's more like…one of us ripped the scab off of a healing wound." Hakyeon said, not taking his eyes off of the floor. His arms were wrapped tightly to him and he kept scratching at his lips. 

"Hakyeon, I swear it would have healed wrong." Jaehwan defended, distressed at the bite of the words.

"Hush Jaehwan, it's done. Maybe you know how to deal with this. We haven't had any luck getting any response from him." Hakyeon said. He stiffly unfurled himself and led the way to the guest room. He flipped on the light to reveal said screaming angel. He had the covers pulled up to his chin and limply laid on a pillow stained a murky red, completely unblinking. He looked catatonic. Taekwoon sat down next to the boy and gently shook him and called his name to get his attention but his eyes remained unseeing. 

"Don't worry. I've seen this." Taekwoon said with a small sad smile. He took out a pocket knife and made a cut just above his collar bone. Hyuk's eyes slowly came back into focus and he sat up un steadily. "Come here Hyukkie. Hungry?" Taekwoon coaxed. The boy nodded sleepily. He fumbled away the blanket to wrap his arms around Taekwoon and took to lapping at his shoulder. When finished he slid into Taekwoon's lap and absent mindedly fiddled with one of the buttons on Taekwoon's shirt as he stared off, though this time not so vacantly. 

"How are you feeling?" Taekwoon murmured. 

"A little sick." Hyuk responded with a hoarse whisper. 

"Yeah?" Taekwoon confirmed as he snuggled the boy in his arms. Hyuk just gave a dazed nod. 

Taekwoon looked up at the worried vampires standing in the door way. "I find him like this after a nightmare sometimes. It scared the shit out of me the first few times. It's ok, you didn't break him. He's interacting with his surroundings now so he'll be ok. He's durable, right Hyukkie?" Taekwoon explained. He demonstrated by tickling Hyuk a little and the boy squirmed and scowled, before mumbling a muffled "Don't." The vampires looked relieved at the display but there wasn't any shift in their somberness. 

Jaehwan crossed the room to sit hunched up on a long dresser across from the pair. "Hyukkie, can you handle telling him what happened?" He asked tightly, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

"I don't remember" He mumbled and turned so that he could only see Taekwoon's chest. 

"I'm going to say what happened, ok?"

"Jaehwan, not right now." Hakyeon complained. 

Taekwoon sighed. "I don't really want to avoid it. Could we do this now if you guys aren't too busy? I know Vixx opens soon."

"You guys go ahead." Jaehwan smiled sadly. Hakyeon huffed and disappeared down the hall. Wonshik walked up to Hyuk slowly like he would approach an animal so it doesn't spook. "I'm glad you are ok Hyukkie." He petted the boys hair before following Hakyeon. Taekwoon shifted to make himself more comfortable and asked "Ready?" as he took in Jaehwan's shakiness and range of nervous ticks. 

"Where to start…He woke from a nightmare and I was talking to- trying to talk to him about it. He said he doesn't want to tell you about them because he doesn't want to scare you, doesn't want to think about what he was, presumably, when he started out. I told him about what I was like when I started out hoping maybe he could relate to coming to terms with…Shit kinda hit the fan when I said out loud what caused his mother's." Jaehwan slid a finger over his throat to avoid reactivating the screaming angel. 

"Ah." Taekwoon nodded at understanding the full scope of the situation. Taekwoon processed for a few moments and Jaehwan's nervous ticks continued, unhindered by reassurance. 

"Hyuk, there is something I want your help with when we go upstairs. I want your opinion on which picture we'll put up of your family. I meant to do it at the last place but ended up forgetting once I got so busy."

Hyuk froze and slowly looked up at Taekwoon with a wounded expression. "I don't want this." Hyuk responded, barely audible. 

"Why not?" Taekwoon asked softly. "I know bad things happened but wouldn't they be sad to know they were forgotten? That the good things about them were forgotten? I would be sad if you tried to forget me."

"I…no, it's…It h- no I want to forget." Hyuk whimpered. 

"Hyukkie, do have any guesses on why I told you about when I first turned?" Hyuk scowled at Jaehwan's request. 

"I want to know the story. What happened?" Taekwoon coaxed. 

"He killed people." The stubborn boy murmured. 

"I told you that because I want you to understand that the hunger takes over when you are a new vampire. It took a long time for me to trust myself. It took even longer to…I don't know if I have the right words…for me to realize the hunger isn't who I am. I did something bad. I tried to ignore it but I couldn't. I saw reminders everywhere, but I can't help anyone in the present if I hate myself every time I see someone with an illness they won't live through. There will always be things that trigger memories even if you don't put up the pictures. If you don't try to face it, it will always hurt more than it should…I'm babbling. Is this making any sense?"

"I don't know." Hyuk said softly, for the first time not looking at Jaehwan with malice but sadness. 

"If there is anything I want to drill into you, it's that you have to talk about it to stop the nightmares. You don't have to worry about scaring any of us. All of us vampires have dealt with scary stuff and been ok. And Taekwoon was there, remember? How can you scare him if he's already seen it? So repeat after me." Jaehwan repeated himself a few times before Hyuk reluctantly joined in. "Nothing I say will stop Taekwoon from loving me. Nothing about what I did can scare him. I will talk about my nightmares so they will stop." He made Hyuk say it a few times until he had it memorized. 

"Nothing I say will stop Taekwoon from loving me. Nothing about what I did can scare him. I will talk about my nightmares so they will stop. Can I go back to sleep now?" Hyuk said moodily. 

"That's probably a good stopping point for today. But we're not done with you mister." Taekwoon kissed Hyuk's forehead and tucked him into the bed. "I'll be right back." 

He beckoned Jaehwan out of the room and left to plop down on the couch. "Taek I'm so sorry about all of this. I was just getting frustrated and-"

"Jaehwan, shush. It's ok. If anything I think you're the first one who has finally been able to chip away at his shell a little bit. Don't sweat it. Thank you for helping him."

"Really?...No I'm pretty sure this is the part where you are supposed to be mad. Most parents would be mad if someone put their kid in an emotional coma."

"Like I said last night, he's a kid with severe trauma. He's not like other kids. I'm just sorry he threw a fit. Again." Taekwoon said sheepishly. "I probably should have pushed him a little more. I've been so scared of triggering things he isn't prepared to deal with."

"Kid with severe trauma. I don't think anyone knows the exact right way to act. I probably was on the opposite end, pushing him too much. God, you should have heard him scream. It was the most miserable sound I've ever heard anyone make. It was terrifying and once it started I was willing to give him the world to make him stop. It felt like his emotional pain was becoming physical pain. It felt like he was an earthquake self-combusting." Jaehwan said, complete with sound effects and miming whatever a fiery earthquake was supposed to look like. 

"Is that even a thing?"

"Sure, why not?" Jaehwan laughed. Finally his constricting stress was giving way as Taekwoon chuckled. 

After a moment Taekwoon looked up with a worried smile. "Shit…there is probably going to be more heart breaking crying while we're trying to help him come to terms. Mmrm" Taekwoon tipped over comically. "Jaehwan this is going to be hard, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that probably won't be the last of the screaming angel." Jaehwan smiled apologetically. 

"He'll hate that nickname. I think it's kinda funny." Taekwoon said with a tired smile. "Mind if we nap down here for a while?"

"Not at all, take as long as you want. If Hakyeon and Wonshik wouldn't be annoyed with me for bailing I would join you but, work is calling. Night, night." He said with a warm smile which Taekwoon returned. He squeezed the vampires shoulder and went back to Hyuk's side. After a full day of crazy it was nice to have his charge peacefully cuddled up next to him. He wondered if he would be jinxing himself to hope for a completely sane day when he woke up. 

. . .


	17. Jekyll and Hyde

Hyuk was still grumpy upon waking, but groggily acquiesced when Taekwoon picked him up for a piggy back ride upstairs to the new apartment. Taekwoon apprehensively unlocked the door and deposited his charge in the entry way. The child meandered forward, taking in his new habitat. "I know it's a little hard to imagine what this will look like with everything still in boxes, but I think we can make it look really cool. Whatever we dream up. For the most part sky's the limit." Taekwoon said as Hyuk spun in a slow circle. 

The building had been built in the 1920's and had that antique charm. That part was probably lost on the eight year old. He padded across the wood floor to the living room's window seat to inspect the light proofing and run his hands over the velvet teal cushion. Taekwoon felt a bit let down by the lack of reaction from Hyuk. 

"Which room do you want?" Taekwoon ventured to fill the silence. Hyuk wordless poked his head in both. 

"That one I guess. They're pretty much the same. It doesn't matter." He selected with a blank shrug. He wandered back through looking at the bathroom, kitchen, dining room space and poking his head out the door to the balcony before presenting his assessment to Taekwoon. "This place is boring." 

Taekwoon exhaled and rubbed at his face wearily. "Mm, think of it as a blank canvas. We get to make it fun. What's the wildest thing you can think of a house having?"

Hyuk's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to make you buy something stupid awesome if you give me that much freedom." 

Taekwoon retrieved his laptop and pulled open a blank word doc to make a list in, then made himself comfortable on the couch. Maybe they should get a new one while they're making this place fun. "I'm going to regret saying this but…bring it. Let's go nuts. Start throwing stuff out there." Taekwoon said with unease. 

Hyuk pensively paced. He was spiteful about his suggestions but at least he was participating. "A trampoline…spaceship…rock wall, bubble machine, a basketball hoop, bowling, balloons…a um...red piano…a stuffed walrus…a room dedicated to Legos and video games, a swimming pool, robot servants, pinball, big fish tank with lots of Yi Soo's…a dragon…a forest……" Taekwoon looked up expectantly. Hyuk had paused and a despondent look clouded his features. "Sky's the limit?"

"We'll have to dial it back in the end but for now let's think big."

"…how about the sky? Sunlight?" Taekwoon's chest tightened at the small voice Hyuk had used more thinking to himself rather than making a list. 

"Hyukkie?"

"Never mind. It's dumb. I don't want to fry." 

"We could do the thing like Vixx has on its ceiling. Or we could do something cool with the windows and tv screen type things. We could have a change of scenery to where ever we want to go. We could go to the rainforest or space or have a bazillion Yi Soo's swimming outside the windows."

"Yeah, that's kinda cool." Hyuk admitted begrudgingly. 

"Oh, do you want a nest of some sort? We have high ceilings. We could make a literal nest." Taekwoon suggested with a mildly hopeful smile. "Sure, whatever." Hyuk said noncommittally as he nudged boxes around with his toes. His eyes wandered around the room as he became more apathetic than grumpy. It seemed like Hyuk had lost interest in the brain storming session as he started opening boxes and wordlessly sorted items to corresponding rooms. The mini vampire was on auto pilot and it disturbed Taekwoon a little. 

"So…you're good with this place?" He tested the waters. 

Hyuk sighed pensively. "No, but I can't live under Sungjae's bed, and his house is too noisy any way." The boy looked around his new surroundings insecurely. He absent-mindedly shuffled through a box with growing melancholy, mounting until it burst and he scampered over to Taekwoon for a hug. "I don't like moving but I want to stay with you." He murmured and pressed his head into Taekwoon's chest. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"I don't know what I would do without you either." Taekwoon replied squeezing Hyuk a little tighter. "It makes me really happy that you want us to stick together. I know new places are scary, but I'm right here with you. This will feel like home soon. I promise." 

"M'kay." Hyuk whispered. They held the hug for a while longer as Taekwoon rubbed Hyuk's back and sang quiet songs to sooth the boy's anxiety. 

"There is one thing we need to do to make this home. I don't think we should put it off anymore. Will you grab my laptop bag for me?" Hyuk reluctantly obeyed but only sat next to Taekwoon with it instead of handing it over. Of course he knew what was inside. His feelings on the matter had not changed after sleeping on it. 

"Before we open it, we're going to play a game of twenty questions. I ask questions and you answer yes or no. Okay?" Hyuk nodded. Taekwoon glanced over at him for a moment. "Do you miss your mom and dad?" 

Hyuk closed his eyes and curled in on himself. "No."

"Is that because of how they died?" Taekwoon couldn't see Hyuk's face and could barely hear Hyuk's weak response of "I don't know."

Taekwoon changed the angle. "Do you say that because of how they lived?" 

"What? No!" Hyuk pouted.

"They may not have been perfect but they loved you right?"

"Yeah."

"And you loved them. You still do?"

"Yeah." Hyuk said timidly over the growing lump in his throat. Droplets of blood slid down his face. Taekwoon wanted to stop but…what if it helped? He chewed on his lip trying to think of another question. 

"You know that I love you and that I'm not scared of you, right?" Hyuk nodded. Taekwoon's chest felt constricted as Hyuk slid off the couch and wandered away. He went back to prodding through boxes. The confused and insecure adult curled up so that he could hug his legs to his chest and turn his face to rest on the back of the cushion. He just stared at the fabric of the couch, suddenly hating it and himself. Why was he doing this to Hyuk? He tried to think, 'If he had been the cause of his mother's death, what would he would do? Maybe he would want to forget and run away too. The guilt would ruin him. He jolted hard when a bundled up blanket pelted the back of his head. He numbly sat with the fleecy material covering his sight and felt the cushions compress upon Hyuk's return. Hyuk exhaled shakily and lifted the blanket to peer at Taekwoon's face. "We haven't reached twenty yet." Taekwoon rearranged the blanket to mirror the way Hyuk was sitting wrapped in one of his own. 

"Where are we at?" Taekwoon asked, equally as shaky. 

"With that question that brings it to eight." Taekwoon sniffled and smiled lightly. 

"I'll have to be more careful then…..If…if your parents magically came back to life right now do you think they would be angry with you?"

"Yes." Hyuk swallowed thickly. 

"Do you think if that had happened to me do you think I would be mad at you?"

"How could you not be?" Hyuk asked fearfully. 

"I wouldn't. All of the vampires I have met have said that they feel out of control in the beginning. They feel like some monster is inside of them making them do awful things. I wouldn't blame you. I don't think they would either. I would feel like you were being controlled by something you couldn't fight. I would be mad at the people that did this to you. I would be scared for you. Not of you. I hate that you have to face that monster. I hate that the monster has taken your parents from you. I hate that it has taken the life you used to have and that you can't do what you want anymore. I hate that it's taken away the things you like to do like school and playing with your friends and sunlight and eating yummy food. I would do anything to give all of that back to you." Taekwoon explained with a sad smile. "I hate the way the monster makes you feel. Do you understand that you aren't the monster?"

"No. Taekwoon, I am. After what I did…I can't undo it. That's the kind of thing that makes a person into a monster so now I am a monster."

"I don't think you and the monster are the same person. You shouldn’t have to take the blame for what the monster did."

"I…I don't feel like I'm two people. It's me wanting to do bad things." 

"What kind of bad things?"

"Promise you won't get scared?"

"Promise."

"Sometimes when I feed I want to take more than I should, more than I'm hungry for. It…it feels good. It's got a similar feeling to how you would feel after jumping into a pool on a really hot day. During it I feel like, weirdly powerful and light. After I feel like I'll get the best sleep ever."

"Hakyeon calls it blood drunk. He says that's a pretty normal reaction. It does sound nice, the way you describe it."

"Killing shouldn't feel like that." Hyuk said with a horrified look.

"Oh!…I see what you mean." 

"There are times where I want to take everything." Hyuk whispered, overwhelmed with despair. "I wish there was a second person and it wasn't me feeling that. I hate it. I hate me for feeling like that. I'm sick and messed up. People are right for calling vampires killers. I'm a killer. I shouldn't be walking around free, but I take that too."

"Oh, Hyukkie." Taekwoon was at a loss for words. He pulled Hyuk into his lap and cradled the boy who was now sobbing bitterly. 

"I killed her." He said with a cracking voice. 

"It's not your fault." 

"Taekwoon how can you say that? There is no one else to blame. I'm a murderer."

"Hyuk, look at me." Taekwoon said firmly, startling the distraught boy. "Did you choose to become a vampire?"

"No."

"Then how can you blame yourself for becoming a vampire? Hmm? All vampires struggle in the beginning. The gang members put you in a situation in which they knew you would struggle and fail. They didn't take care of you the way covens are supposed to. What they did was sick and messed up." Hyuk looked at Taekwoon with wide, bleary eyes and had to bury his face in Taekwoon shoulder as he dissolved into a red mucus-y fountain. He held the boy close and decided the pictures needed to wait for another day. He had expected that Hyuk felt guilty. He wasn't expecting the craving to be more than cravings for sustenance. This aspect seemed new even though really it had all been sitting in front of him each time a customer chomped down on him. Either way he understood Hyuk's fears a little more. The whole thing was making Taekwoon feel like his emotional 'skin' had been wearing a sandpaper shirt. That happens when your eight year old has murderous impulses and doesn't feel like he's got a Jekyll and Hyde situation going on his head. Without it he could only be scared of himself. 

. . .

"Hakyeon?"

Hakyeon had been staring a hole into the carpet in front of him and it was both annoying and concerning to Wonshik. "Now who's catatonic." He muttered sullenly. 

Hakyeon slowly came back to the present. "Huh? Sorry what's up Shikkie?" 

"Where did you go just now?" 

"I was just thinking that…I haven't had any nightmares in a long time. I'm trying to remember if there was something that helped or if they just faded off."

"We're not giving Hyuk opium." Wonshik joked. 

"I still had them even after I got clean, though, so it wasn't that. Besides I would never drug Hyuk. That would be messed up."

"I was kidding. I know you wouldn't." Wonshik redacted with a roll of his eyes. 

It had been hard for the coven to concentrate during the business hours following their disconcerting babysitting session. Now that they were closed up for the morning they had congregated on the couches in the lounge for their routine of talking about everything and/or nothing. 

"I told Hyuk he needs to talk about his nightmares to get rid of them." Jaehwan informed, treading lightly. Hakyeon just nodded absent mindedly. Judging by the apathetic response Hakyeon wasn't mad, just…it was hard to say. 

"Do you think it's valid advice?" Jaehwan inquired, looking for answers they had never been given over the centuries. 

"Yes, I think so." Hakyeon responded blankly with no eye contact. Jaehwan and Wonshik traded looks, both uncertain of whether they should force the answer they were looking for. 

"Do you want to try it?" Wonshik said feeling exasperated at the eldest's thickness. 

Hakyeon rose his head and noticed the expressions of the other two coven members. "I'd rather not. I haven't struggled with that in a while. But I think if there is anything that can be done to help Hyukkie it's worth a shot. Thanks though." He tried to reassure them, even if his smile was a little weak. He wasn't about to unpack that mental box. The Seokyeon box…They both drooped knowing that they weren't going to get what they were looking for. Nice try. Even if he wanted to talk about them he really didn't know how to explain what happened in his nightmares. Things weren't terribly coherent. But they didn't happen anymore so it was a non-issue. Wonshik sighed and rolled off the couch to go down stairs. Jaehwan yawned and trailed after him wordlessly. Hakyeon spaced out and eventually fell asleep in the chair situated in the middle of the Vixx lounge. 

Nightmares were a touchy topic for the coven. They had all had their fair share and didn't want to admit they had never actually mastered them. Each felt self-conscious about trying to help Hyuk, scared that in trying to help they would have to once more face the demons they had tried to forget.


	18. Avoidance

Since the event now known amongst the four as 'the night of the screaming angel' Taekwoon felt that the vampires were avoiding him. They weren't seeking him out or making conversation. If they had tasks needed to be done by the feeders they weren't pestering him for it. If he tried to ask them questions they would usually make an excuse and then a U-turn. It was too obvious to be in his head. Maybe they had a hunch he had questions they didn't want to answer, that he wanted help in convincing Hyuk he wasn't evil. 

Jaehwan had disappeared as soon as he had Sunggyu and Taekwoon hooked to IV's. "Taekwoon, there is stoic and then there is just plain intimidating." Sunggyu remarked as he looked at Taekwoon with concern. The feeder looked like he was giving the floor a death stare. 

"Just a little overwhelmed with everything that's been happening lately I guess." Taekwoon said trying to soften his expression to not scare his companion. 

"Yeah, new job, moving and Hyuk with his stuff. Is he behaving a little better now?" Sunggyu inquired quietly, gesturing to the boy who was working on his math worksheet in the corner of the room. He seemed bored and more interested in rolling his pencil around on the table than actually working on multiplication. 

"Yeah, he's been better since we had a heart to heart. He's not throwing any more temper tantrums. Now I think he's just depressed and bored. Not exactly an improvement but it gives everyone's nerves a break." 

"How about you? You look a little depressed and bored too." Sunggyu prodded. 

"I guess." Taekwoon laughed humorlessly. 

"Well Friday is Hakyeon's alcoholic-Christmas thing. Are you getting boozed up with us?"

"Ah, shit I forgot about that. 

"With the way Hakyeon goes on about it how could you forget?"

"There's been a little…distance between us lately. He hasn't been reminding me. I'm bailing anyway. It would be hard to get a babysitter with how crappy Hyuk's reputation is recently. I asked the coven to keep Hyuk with them while I worked on moving and they did not have a good experience. Thanks for bailing on me for the move by the way." Taekwoon jokingly stuck out his tongue. 

Sunggyu copied him "Well sorry for having plans." He said without any bite. 

"You're lucky Eunkwang and Minhyuk brought all of their brothers. If not I probably would have been a little bitter about it." Taekwoon teased. 

"Oh! Minhyuk and Eunkwang could take him. They're too young to drink legally yet. They all get along well."

"They have finals next week though. They would probably prefer to study." Taekwoon shrugged. "We'll just watch a movie or something and have a quiet night in."

"They say it's bad for a depressed person to isolate themselves though." Sunggyu tried to prod again.

Taekwoon sighed. "Yes they do say that." He watched his charge play with his pencil empty of all expression. Taekwoon rubbed at his face wearily and his joking banter turned back into defeated heart break. "I did this to him. He was already isolated because of the no sunlight or school thing but now he can't even sneak over to his friends' houses anymore to go play. No one his age is around here. He used to be constantly surrounded by friends and classmates. He was incredibly social and now he's stuck with just me." Taekwoon slumped even further down in his chair.

"If I was stuck with just you I would be depressed too." Sunggyu smirked and Taekwoon just sent him a pitiful stare, not even trying to refute the statement. They fell silent as Sunggyu struggled to find a way to convince Taekwoon that it had only been a joke but there didn't seem to be any evidence that would be convincing enough right now. All he could do was apologize awkwardly. He made an excuse to leave the room and tracked down their manager. "Wonshik! Taekwoon needs a babysitter for Friday. Who isn't working?"

"Um, let's see. Minhyuk, Eunkwang, Mina and Hyeyeon are too young. Kai and Taemin are out too, but I think they have plans. But Taekwoon said he wasn't interested."

"Are you kidding. That guy needs a drink. He's looking empty. We gotta fill him with something. Might as well be ridiculous amounts of alcohol." Wonshik looked uncomfortable with the suggestion but relented. "I'll see what I can do." The feeder thanked him and jaunted back to the depressed coworker. 

Sure Taekwoon needed to unwind but the party didn't really seem like his kind of setting. And there was this weird tension that no one seemed to want to address since the night of the screaming angel. It would be straining to manage that dynamic while Wonshik was balancing the atmosphere of the party. Taekwoon had even turned him down when he was making his roster. Hakyeon had tried desperately to get Wonshik to put him on the list. (His motives were completely see through to the coven) But Hakyeon's efforts had dropped off now that Wonshik was thinking of it. All of the begging, bribery and blackmail had stopped. 

And yet.

It wasn't fair to Taekwoon that they were being cowards. They were dealing with Hyuk's trauma the way they dealt with their own which was avoiding it. Their behavior was starting to embarrass Wonshik. He missed them all hanging out and couldn't let this continue. 

He flipped through the contacts in his phone thinking about who he should ask. 

"Wonshik, your accountant is here to see you!" Wonshik whirled around to with sudden inspiration. "Yoongie, my favorite accountant!"

"I better be your only accountant." The man snarked and set his brief case on the coffee table in front of him. 

"If I promise to make Hakyeon take bookkeeping lessons before we bring in our documents this next tax season will you do me a huge favor?" 

"I don't like where this is going." 

"You have nephews right? How old are they?" 

"I've already sold my brother's first born if that's what you're after." The sly man joked. "They're ten, nine and seven. Why?"

"One our feeders has an eight year old that could use a playdate this Friday night. He's got unique circumstances though."

"You really aren't selling this very well." Yoongi said warily. 

"He was turned into a vampire earlier this fall so he's lonely now that he can't go to school and see his friends anymore. Due to sunlight, not thirst if you were concerned about that. He learned to control his thirst faster than any other vampire I've met." Wonshik said proudly. Yoongie just stared wide eyed. "What kind of sick fuck would do that?" 

"Beats me, but the same one that killed his parents. Just a heads up on conversation starters to stay away from." Wonshik said with melancholy sheepishness. Yoongie looked like he was grumpily mulling over the request but Wonshik knew he would cave. He was fond of his nephews and sympathetic to vampires. Wonshik blinked at him with puppy dog eyes. 

"I hate you." Yoongi said begrudgingly. 

"So that means you'll do it?" Wonshik said with a beaming smile.

"Well if I don't I'm sure my cousin will give me shit."

"Jin's here if you want to see him." 

"Not really, but if he's got something cooking I might be persuaded to do our appointment in the kitchen." Yoongie said with mirthful feistiness. 

. . .

The next evening Taekwoon woke to light snoring. Hyuk was sprawled in the bed next to him. He must have had another nightmare. His charges' suffering seemed to be never ending. He hadn't known before that eight year old's could get depressed but Hyuk was definitely there. 

Hyuk hadn't touched the books they got from the library and was bored with homework. Bored in general. Not that he would admit it but he was a little bored with the video games he was prohibited from. He couldn't text or call Sungjae anymore now that his friend had no phones available to borrow. The brothers would bring the youngest over sometimes but it wasn't as frequent as either children would like. He had spent hours just staring at Yi Soo drift around in his tank. A bored Hyuk used to be dangerous. The kid was a maniacal prankster. Now it was too quiet and was painfully lacking in mischievousness. Taekwoon missed Hyuk's cheerful chatter and animated laugh. He felt so powerless to bring them back. Every move felt like it made things worse. 

He ran his fingertips over Hyuk's cheek and something in Taekwoon's incoherent thoughts sent him over the edge. At first his tears were silent but upon repeated sniffling Hyuk stirred. Bleary eyed, he looked at the adult with confusion. "Taekwoon? What's wrong?" He asked with a husky just-woke-up voice. 

"I had a nightmare." Taekwoon lied and tried to wrestle back his emotions. Maybe it would help to model what he wished Hyuk would do. "Can I tell you about it?" 

"Just a sec." Hyuk clumsily scampered away to get a box of Kleenex for Taekwoon's runny nose. They sat cross legged facing each other on the bed. 

Taekwoon improvised a dream "For some reason we were back in the old neighborhood but it was more maze like. It was scary. I was trying to find you but the vampires from that night were also chasing me. By the time I got away I was back in the old apartment and you were there but you were crying and asking me why I didn't come to find you. Then I woke up." 

Hyuk gingerly held Taekwoon's hands and studied them, unsure of what to do. "I'm right here. You don't have to look for me." The boy said. 

"I hated myself for not finding you." Hyuk contemplated Taekwoon's words and finally responded. 

"That's dumb." He said with a sympathetic frown. 

"Dumb?" 

"It's not like you could have known where to find me."

"I felt so useless though. You needed me and I failed you. I feel like I'm still failing you. I can't seem to cheer you up at all. Not that I want you to fake it. I just want to take away the hurt…somehow. I feel like I'm living my nightmare a little bit, searching and not finding."

"That's confusing."

"It's my fear. I need to tell someone. I know my fear might be dumb and not make sense but if I talk about it out loud maybe the words might come together and I can make my brain realize its being unreasonable." 

"That definitely doesn't make sense." Hyuk said with bland exasperation.

"I know. I know intellectually that I can't blame myself for what I can't control but emotionally my brain hasn't registered it yet. Fear doesn't always make sense. It's going to take a while for my emotional brain to believe my logical brain."

"You have too many brains." Hyuk said with a small smile. 

"Maybe that's why I over think things too much." Taekwoon joked. "How about you? Do you have that logical brain, emotional brain issue?"

"No."

"It's just me!?" Taekwoon bemoaned with fake exasperation. 

Hyuk giggled in response. It was nice to have Hyuk teasing him. Taekwoon fell back on the bed. "Great, I'm a head case." He said in mock complaint. Hyuk clambered over and rested his head on Taekwoon's shoulder and extended arm.

"Yup, you're bonkers." 

After a while of relaxing silence Taekwoon remember the Friday night issue. A movie was a bit of a cop out. "mm, before I forget, I don't work Friday night. Want to go out and do something?"

"Like what?" Hyuk asked as he turned his head at an awkward angle to see his guardian. 

"hmm…sledding? We have fresh snow."

"Yeah!!" Hyuk agreed gleefully. Taekwoon realized they both craved a break from the painful stabs of their attempted therapy. It felt nice to have something to look forward to. 

. . .

Hongbin gave Taekwoon a quick hug. "I'm so glad you'll be there to help Friday! I was worried about dealing with drunk vampires on my own. I have a really high alcohol tolerance. I'm usually the last one standing."

"Huh? I don't, so I wouldn't be any help. What are you talking about?" Taekwoon implored quizzically.

"You're on the roster for Friday's party." Hongbin said with innocent confusion. 

"The hell I am. Where is Hakyeon?" Taekwoon said with wrath storming over his features. 

"Oh, shit…" Hongbin said to himself as Taekwoon prowled off to find the noxious boss. He spotted the boss walking toward the waterfall wall and followed him. Just behind it he caught up to the vampire and spun him by his shoulders so he could get fistfuls of Hakyeon's shirt collar. "What the actually fuck Hakyeon! I already said that I don't want to go to your stupid party."

"I know. I'm not expecting you to come." Hakyeon said stunned, unable to catch up to what was the angry feeder was talking about. 

"Then why the hell am I on the roster? You can write my name down but there's no way in hell I'll show up." Taekwoon growled as he released Hakyeon's abused shirt and shoved him away. Hakyeon watched him stalk away in shock. He made his way back to his office with rattled and confused movements. He passed Jaehwan who stopped him to examine the expression on his friend's face. "Hakyeon?"

"I don't know what I did but Taekwoon completely lost it just now." He murmured in a daze before he disappeared behind the office door.

Jaehwan face palmed and muttered "Of course he doesn't know. The idiot doesn't understand that he can get annoying." Something felt off though. Hakyeon had been giving Taekwoon a wide berth lately. Someone was interfering. That someone happened to be poking at the screen on the cash register. "Whatever you did it was a bad idea. Hakyeon's probably curled up in a ball under his desk right now." Jaehwan said dryly to Wonshik. 

Wonshik sighed. "Do I need to go remind our fearless leader to be fearless? Seriously, the guy decimated armies, why is he under his desk?" Wonshik teased without looking away from his work. Jaehwan caught his chin and just pointed to the dark presence sitting near a column on the edge of the lounge. He was carving long gouges on the pillar. "Ohhh. Yeah, maybe we should take cover too…" Wonshik suggested apprehensively. Jaehwan ignored him to call out to the brooding feeder. "Taekwoon. Whatever you're mad about you should probably take it up with Wonshik." As he got closer he pleaded in a quieter tone. "And please stop destroying our stuff."

Taekwoon's glare zeroed in on Wonshik. "This was your doing?" Taekwoon hissed. 

"Oh, no…no, no, no…no. Jaehwan, I hate you!" Wonshik panicked and ran out the nearby front door, Taekwoon following with seething wrath. Jaehwan turned to Hongbin who was hiding out in one of the nooks. "What was that about anyway?" Jaehwan asked with an amused smirk. 

"Someone put Taekwoon on the roster for Friday. I guess it wasn't Hakyeon then?"

"For once, no." Jaehwan snickered. Hongbin laughed but it was more out of disturbed nervousness. "Want to help me pry our fearless leader out from under his desk?" Jaehwan invited merrily. 

. . .


	19. Cats and Dogs

Normally people described Wonshik as Doberman, he looked intimidating but was actually sweet and friendly. They described Taekwoon as cat-like in looks and mannerisms. Those descriptions were completely reversed right now as Wonshik was literally a treed cat. Taekwoon was a vicious canine circling below. 

"Taek, come on. I can stay up here all night. You're going to get hypothermia out here. You don't even have a coat. Let's go inside and talk about this." The only response was a snowball. 

"Taek, this is stupid. I can outrun you and overpower you." Another snowball. Wonshik sighed. 

"I know you don't like me not asking but my accountant has nephews Hyuk's age and I figured he might like to hang out with other kids for once. My accountant is a totally chill guy. He is pro-vampire so Hyuk will be in good hands. Jin will vouch for him. They're cousins." Taekwoon dropped the snowball he was working on in favor of trying to breath warm air on his numb fingers. Not that his expression didn't look any less loathing. 

"Hyuk may not want to cooperate though. I told him we would go sledding. Once he latches on to what he wants, he doesn't really budge, in case you haven't noticed. Besides, even if he goes I'm still not going to your fuck awful party." Taekwoon snarled. 

"But I want to hang out with you." Wonshik whined softly. 

"Well you assholes have a funny way of showing it. I don't want to hang out with any of you." Taekwoon growled, trying to mask his hurt feeling with hostility. He was tired of dealing with this fickle bunch of vampires and didn't feel like giving them anymore chances. He trudged back through the snow to the warm refuge of the Vixx building. He had snow in his socks. He didn't want to deal with anything or anyone right now and just headed straight for the elevator to his apartment. He got the impulse to drop kick Wonshik out of the elevator when he followed him inside. They stood on opposite ends of the rising metal box, Wonshik carefully studying Taekwoon's body language while Taekwoon tried to retreat inside his own mind and attempted to shed the snow attached to lower parts of his legs. He was definitely going to jump on the chance to give Hyuk a way to make friends. Anything for Hyuk to be included in normal life activities. Taekwoon wasn't terribly fond of his pain in the ass 'friends' anymore though and didn't have any desire to pull himself out of isolation.

Wonshik stuck his foot in the door that Taekwoon tried to slam in his face. Taekwoon let out a feral growl before retreating to his room to ignore the vampire. Ten minutes later Wonshik returned with the mini vampire as a key. The mini vampire cautiously entered the miserable cat's room while the Doberman waited in the hall. He overheard Hyuk trying to placate him but wandered back with a shrug. "Have fun." He said unhelpfully before going back down stairs. Wonshik prodded the door open to see Taekwoon scowling from his blanket wrapped form in the middle of his bed, trying to reclaim lost heat. 

"The other employees want you around. They like you even if you are a big baby. That's why I put you on the roster. They want to be there for you. We want to be too but…we were scared, scared to answer questions. We aren't as put together as we look. We probably all need to go to a shrink, though sorting through centuries of issues would be a headache. We probably aren't healthy enough to help Hyuk. If I find a good therapist I'll get them to take Hyuk as a patient too. 

"I do but I don't want that. I want to help Hyuk work out his issues but we're rushing him. He needs to have some time to do normal stuff too." Taekwoon flopped over to get more comfortable. His face was barely visible now. They spent a while in silence, looking each other over before Taekwoon rolled to face away completely. 

Wonshik finally broke the silence "I should have done this sooner. I don't think the other two can handle it. I'm probably the most well adjusting one in the coven. I know you have questions. I'll answer them as best I can." Wonshik offered. He came around the bed to try to find Taekwoon's face and sat on the edge. Still somewhat frustrated Taekwoon relented knowing that he needed the info. 

"Hyuk says that he feels the desire to kill people. How do I deal with that?"

Wonshik mulled it over and answered simply. "Make sure he still feels human, I guess. You're already doing it so just keep doing it." 

"Not going to lie, it kinda freaks me out a little bit that all of the customers at one point or another have probably wanted to bleed me dry. Hyuk says it feels good."

Wonshik sighed and cleared his throat. "It does, yeah." 

"Have you wanted to kill me?"

"I'll put it this way, I've wanted to kill. It's not specific to you."

"How do you handle it?" 

"Silver. As soon as I feel it I remember that you're my friends and my protective instincts over ride that refreshed, recharged feeling that I was getting lost in."

"Hyuk feels like he's now a killer because of that feeling. There's only been one death but maybe with it replaying in his head it probably feels like he's a serial killer. I don't know. Now that I'm thinking about it he probably feels constantly out of control because he's reliving his mom's murder. He feels like a monster that shouldn't be allowed to roam around or enjoy life. I've tried to get him to disassociate himself from that impulse. I think Jaehwan said something about it took him a long to realize he wasn't his hunger or something. Did you…did you go through that too? I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Taekwoon retracted his question tentatively. He couldn't help not wanting to hurt the coworker even if he was annoyed with him.

Wonshik stared off a little while he answered. "All of us lost our humanity in the beginning. Jaehwan was an apprentice doctor and acted as an angel of death. Hakyeon's maker brainwashed him a bit into not feeling any guilt. After a while he learned how to fight and became her feared general, only loyal to his coven. Direct line decedents can't disobey direct orders from their makers and she was pretty nasty about how she used it on Hakyeon. As for me, I was stupid enough to sign up to be a soldier, thinking it was the only way to protect my family from invading forces. Since I was batch made I was really group oriented and didn't question it when we became the invaders on other people's lands. I became what I was trying to fight. 

It doesn't help that vampires love war. They get to feed freely and fully. That's why Kibum is so messed up. He's fresh from a war zone. He'll come down from it the longer he's around peaceful society. But yeah, in the beginning we didn't care about control. We were always surrounded by other vampires, so it wasn't until we distanced ourselves from the community and lived among humans that it crashed down on us. We felt the same as Hyuk, disgusted with ourselves and horrified by how much destruction we caused. We didn't really know what to do about it. I guess for me after peace came back and I had gone back to my farm it was somewhat therapeutic to stand back and watch how people's lives had continued on. In the long run they had been able to go back to normal lives. The only thing I could really do was to take care of the ones still there and not get stuck on the ones I had ended."

"I think Jaehwan said something similar when he was talking to Hyuk. I don't know if I'm putting it correctly but you didn't have any specifically memorable victims, did you?"

"Not really. It was a bloody, euphoric haze."

"I don't know what to say about to Hyuk about his one slip up. It was his mom. She was his only victim but there's such a vivid connection between parents and kids. At least for me it is. Hyuk's parents weren't very responsible but they did love him, so I think it is for Hyuk too."

"Mm, yeah, I vaguely remember. It's been so long I don't even remember what my parents looked like but I do remember my human family was pretty tight knit." 

"And the others? I don't know if I should ask that or not…"

"It's better to ask me than them directly, I guess. Jaehwan never really had human family. He was a slave. He had a strong bond with his maker and it crushed him when Hyo Shin died in battle. He was a mean little shit for the longest time after that. Hakyeon had a decent family but when his maker came trying to court him they threw him under the bus and tried to encourage the match. There was this dumb love triangle where Hakyeon wanted no one, his maker wanted him and his human brother wanted her. Hakyeon turned his brother because he begged to have a chance to be near her even if she didn't love him back. Seokyeon ended up betraying Hakyeon because of his jealously. Then Hakyeon killed him. So I guess he would be the one to talk to about what it's like to, well, you know. But he'll pull away from anyone that asks. That's why he's been distant lately." 

"He was worried we would stumble across that?" 

"I think so. I think the only one who really would have any right to ask him about it would be Hyuk. I don't know if he would reject him or not though."

"Reject?"

"He might get overwhelmed and bolt. He won't even talk about it with us. He's been flighty and starting to pick up some of his bad habits again since it occurred to him that he might have to dreg it up to help out. He never really recovered. He really looked up to Seokyeon and the aftermath of his actions nearly destroyed him. The only reason we don't have to worry about him committing suicide is because his maker gave him a direct command that he couldn't." 

Both of them stewed on the speculation. Wonshik fished out his buzzing phone to find Hakyeon text nagging him to get back to work. He answered with 'something came up, not coming back tonight.' 

Hakyeon's boisterous, motherly, bossy, vain image he had created for himself made it hard to believe he was so mentally frail. Wonshik felt a little drained after all the revealing he had done. He giggled as he pounced over Taekwoon and stole his blanket. One of his talents was falling asleep as soon as his head hit a pillow. Nothing Taekwoon did could bother the vampire out of his slumber. He gave up and got a new blanket. 

. . .

"You do it."

"What? But he's your kid."

"And it was your idea. Now tell him." 

Hyuk watched the exchange patiently waiting for the adults to behave more maturely. 

"Tell me what?"

Wonshik sighed. "Fine. I have a friend who is getting together is his nephews on Friday. They're about your age and he was wondering if you want to come along too. What do you think."

Hyuk nonchalantly shot him down. "Sorry, got plans already." 

"But I need to barrow Taekwoon on Friday. Would you be willing to reschedule your plans?" Wonshik pleaded. Taekwoon muttered something under his breath about not agreeing to that part. 

"Is that why you were pestering him the other night?" 

"Yes"

"Then no. It absolutely cannot be rescheduled. I don't give my permission for you to barrow my Taekwoon." Taekwoon tried to keep a straight face but Wonshik's annoyed facial expression were pretty entertaining. He had to turn away to stifle laughter at the child's mannerisms even if he did wish Hyuk would have been interested. 

"Agh! Why not? You can take your pick of any other night."

"Nope. It's imperative that it happens on Friday.

"What? Why? Wait, why do you even know what imperative means?"

"It's called home school." 

"But you're eight." 

"You're just bitter because you didn't know how to read until fifty years after becoming a vampire." Hongbin instigated. Wonshik shot him a deadly glare. "Hakyeon told me. Blame him."

"I'll deal with you later. Now Hyuk please!"

"You know nothing about snow." Hyuk said obstinately.

"What the f-? No. Don't even. No. Your logic is flawed. The snow melts. The longer you push it out the less luck you will have for sledding."

"I know how to use google. I checked the weather report. It will snow on Friday." 

"I know how to use google too. Look up hypothermia, Taekwoon will get that if you drag him out there while it's snowing." 

"…how do I spell that?"

"I won't get hypothermia. Now who's the drama queen. But it might be fun to go hang out with other kids. What do you think?"

Hongbin meandered over to the trio. "I got this. If you go with them Friday night AND you behave I'll take you to the mall Saturday night. We can hit up the arcade and go Christmas shopping." Hongbin said to entice the sassy child. Problem solved. Hyuk readily agreed to it. Hongbin wondered how the other adults didn't notice they had been set up for a hustle. His intervention probably saved them from having to offer a bigger and better prize. 

. . .


	20. Never Have I Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dmitri and Inmylife, thank you for the suggestions on girls to add! 
> 
> Revised Feeder Line Up-
> 
> O's -Bomi, Mina, Nayoung, Hyeyeon, Sally  
> A's -Youngji, Hana  
> B's -Jamie, Mimi  
> AB's -Hani, Sojin
> 
> There will be more vampires to meet as we go :)

Taekwoon was acquainted with everyone who had gathered in the circle to play 'Never Have I Ever'. Their regular customer Amber had his fellow feeder, Jackson, in a playful headlock on the floor and Ryeowook was seated on Sunggyu's back next to her. They both looked like they were holding down their prizes from a hunt and tormenting the poor men with tickles and pinches. Sitting on the couch next to them and egging the situation on was another regular named Xiumin, who was lounging with Hongbin under his arm. Hongbin was safe from the play fighting and the two were very chill. It was thanks to Bomi, who had her feet stretched out over their laps, who in turn was protected by her pillow Eunji. Eunji's words matched the sharpness of her fangs and she kept teasing Hakyeon about not keeping his soldiers in line and that he had lost his leader-ly touch. It seemed like they all went way back. In the next chair over was Jaehwan with Hani sitting in his lap. They looked like conspiratorial elementary students with the evil grins they would exchange. And on the opposite Couch sat Taekwoon and Hakyeon.

Taekwoon wasn't entirely sure how the drunk vampire had ended up in his lap. Nor how they were blackmailing him into play their awkward drinking game. For the feeders they used a normal method, they drank a shot when they lost a round. But the vampires took a swallow of the feeder's heavily intoxicated blood which meant they just stayed drunkenly draped over their drink of choice. How he could be even more clingy was beyond him but apparently that was drunk Hakyeon's super power. Taekwoon really wanted to push his boss to the floor and go play a different game in a different cluster of people. Vixx was a mad house. Never had Taekwoon seen so many vampires in one place.

Before he could construct an escape plan Jaehwan brought their group to order.

"The game is simple. When it's your turn you say something you've never done and you put 'never have I ever' in front of it. So never have I ever gone skinny dipping at a water park after closing. Because Wonshik, Hakyeon and Ryeowook have done it they have to take a drink."

"What? No! You did it too." Ryeowook complained.

"But I was clothed. You all threw me in before I could strip." Jaehwan said nonchalantly. "Drink up buttercup."

"Stupid technicality." Ryeowook grumbled from where he was perched on top of Sunggyu's back. 

"Additionally to keep people from saying too stupid of things if no one has done it you have to drink." Jaehwan said merrily as he poked at Ryeowook. "No cop outs. And let's just by pass the obvious stuff like 'never have I ever been a vampire', 'never have I ever been a feeder', 'never have I ever been as good looking as Jaehwan'. Got it?" Hani rolled her eyes and pinched him. "More like never has Jaehwan ever looked as good as me. So who's going first?" She teased. 

Amber volunteered but didn't let go of her headlock on Jackson. "Hmm, never have I ever…tried to breath underwater."

Wonshik walked by and pointed out that if she was going to say things like that the humans would never get drunk enough for them. He was going to stay sober to police the interactions and reassure their scared bar tenders. He wasn't going to mention that he had tried it. "Hakyeon, you've done it." 

Hakyeon groaned at being caught as the other participants bemoaned how scary that would be to try. "I mean sure you panic at first but it's pretty surreal once you realize you aren't going to die." He shrugged before pulling Taekwoon in for a nip. 

"Jackson?"

"Never have I ever…been to Europe." Almost everyone took a drink. Taekwoon hoped Hakyeon hadn't done much in life but there was a fat chance of that. He wasn't nearly drunk enough to deal with the loopy vampire. 

"Ryeowook, you're up." Amber announced as she had gotten a little bored with talk of where each person had gone to. 

"Oh, shit I wasn't ready. Never have I ever…been able to out in the sunlight for the past hundred years. Feeders drink up! Bottoms up Sunggyu!" Ryeowook proclaim gleefully, finally allowing the disgruntled employee sit up. Taekwoon was glad to throw back his shot. 

"Sunggyu, you have the floor." Ryeowook said, proud of his dorky pun, as he returned to the feeder's back. 

"I would say never have I ever drank blood but then you'll bite me." Sunggyu mumbled. 

"Not going to lie, I tried it once to see what the fuss was all about on the diet plan stuff. It all tasted the same to me." Jackson shrugged. "How about never have I ever, as a human, drank blood?" He suggested as he tossed back a shot.

"Me next huh?" Hakyeon conferred with the group. "Hongbin, you ready? Never have I ever lived in a Buddhist monastery."

"Oh, come on boss! That's a cheap shot." Hongbin complained pouring himself another shot.

"What? You were bragging about your high tolerance. That's pretty much asking for it." Hongbin pouted at his boss' taunting which made Xiumin giggle as he rubbed Hongbin's arms in sympathy.

"Taekwoonie! Your turn!" Hakyeon said cutely. 

"Whatever, Never have I ever fought in a war." It's not as if the vampires kept it a secret but it still felt like insider information. Hakyeon nestled into his neck and took a shy bite. All of the vampires in the circle had been comrades in the war against San E. This was definitely a downer of a question. 

Never have I ever worked at a circus or carnival." Said Jaehwan, trying to rescue the mood. "Hakyeon!" he exclaimed.

"Nope, nice try, it was a magic act and we never traveled with a circus or carnival/fair type thing. We were in theaters alongside some vaudeville acts." He stuck out his tongue mockingly as Jaehwan bit into Hani, who seemed unfazed by the persistent bites, unlike Taekwoon who's shoulder was starting to hurt. 

"Ok, me next. I think I have a good one. Never have I ever eaten bugs. Jin tried to put it in our diets but no way ever, never, ever!" Hani fussed. 

"They weren't that bad." the other veteran feeders agreed. "The only reason it stopped was because it freaked out Wonshik." Something Taekwoon was definitely glad he missed. 

"Kay, I'll risk it. Never have I ever been married." said Bomi.

Hakyeon bit into Taekwoon and everyone but Jaehwan started demanding details. 

"How on earth did you sneak a marriage past Mom?" Ryeowook demanded in shock.

"Why do you think I left for Europe back in the 1800's. I met my wife Seohyun and convinced her to run away with me. Best 58 years of my life." Hakyeon smiled and wiped away some blood that had dribbled down his chin. 

"Aww, that's so cute!" the girls cooed. 

"They were even still cute together when she was an old woman. It was weird but cute." Jaehwan confirmed. Hakyeon just looked like a bashful but happy kid. 

"Amber, did you ever take up any of those marriage proposals you got? Wasn't there that one soldier? The one you said you fell in love with his smile?" Xiumin asked mischievously. 

"Nah, we fell out of touch. Xiumin any marriages?"

"Nice try. No. But Jaehwan, shot for you." Xiumin said pointing at the other, giddy to throw him under the bus. 

"I've never been able to find evidence that it actually happened though! It was just some weird drunk/high memory. So no deal."

"Ok, this one you have to explain." Hongbin prodded. 

"Long story short when you are in a Las Vegas disco in the 1970's and you see someone completely strung out and looking like he's having the time of his life, don't think 'I want what he's having' and then chew on him. It was LSD and I saw some trippy shit. 

I vaguely remember sitting around in one of those cheesy wedding chapel things with my buddy Sandeul. We may have accidentally gotten married. I don't remember the specifics. I mean we were also trying to feed flying whales by throwing loaves of bread in the air so they stayed happy and didn't destroy Los Vegas and I was also convinced that I made out with Marilyn Monroe (who had been dead for several years), had grown extra arms (not as cool as it sounds) and toward the end we had befriended oopa loompas and snuck into Area 51 to help them get back to their home planet. We nearly roasted ourselves because when we were searching for a space ship at 5AM. It's a good thing we got caught sneaking around that military base or thing would have gotten very sunny."

"Holy shit." Taekwoon said wide eyed as was everyone else.

"Yeah, FYI there aren't any aliens there. Just some really cool stealth planes and fancy electric bomb things. I think we saw an early prototype for the unmanned drones the military uses these days."

"Again, holy shit Jaehwan. I don't think anyone will be able to top that story tonight…or ever."

That's also where I got the bright idea to see if I could take out Wonshik's organs to sell them on the black market. I tried to start with his appendix but couldn't pry it out fast enough before his body started trying to heal back over. And that is how we know surgery doesn't work on vampires. He's still a little bitter about that one. I love you Wonshik!" Jaehwan called to the coven member on other side of the room. Wonshik didn't stop his conversation and just responded by flipping Jaehwan the bird.

Eunji giggled and announced "Maybe it's a bit weak then but never have I ever had surgery."

Taekwoon was the only one to take a shot and Hakyeon tickled him. "Answer!"

"I would have been a pro soccer player but I hurt my knee and wasn't able to play sports after that."

"Really! That's so cool! I mean not the getting hurt part, but can you do the thing where you can keep the ball in the air with kicks?" Bomi blurted. 

"The highest I've gotten was 66." Taekwoon replied, blushing at the sudden attention and praise. 

"If you weren't a feeder would you go back and try again?" Eunji asked.

"Nah, I'm too out of practice."

"What would you like to do if you weren't doing this?" She smirked and pointedly looked at Hakyeon.

"Ya! Stop trying to steal my employees!" Hakyeon said, further wrapping his limbs around Taekwoon. It earned him a narrowed eyed glare from Taekwoon.

"Something to do with music and singing. I was saving up to go back to school and get my teaching credits. I shouldn't have let myself be pressured into a business degree."

"Wow! Sing for us!" Taekwoon did, singing mirrotic by TVXQ [author's note: it's on youtube and even though they get a little pitchy I could listen to the high note around 3:50 on repeat for hours, omg so good - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IrGare_9Ng]

Jaehwan then surprised everyone by singing a gorgeous rendition of Adele's rolling in the deep after him. [author's note: here is the youtube link and it's wonderful- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ-nuh1DEQ8]

"That settles it. You need to start a kpop group." Xiumin decided for them. 

"Ooh, me too! I can rap for you!" Jackson chimed in.

"Ya! Stop trying to steal my employees!" Hakyeon yelled again to which the circle roared with teasing about all the places they would take Hongbin, Taekwoon, Hani, Sunggyu, Jackson and Bomi or things they would do to leave Hakyeon in the dust. 

"Xiumin, just go!" Hakyeon said firmly, clearly having enough of it. Taekwoon whispered for Hakyeon to ease up, that his clutch was starting to really hurt. Xiumin rolled his eyes.

"Ok you big baby. Never have I ever…shit, this is hard…tried online dating or even just made a profile on a dating site. All you millennials better fess up." Reluctantly the feeders drank. 

"Back in my day you had to actually go talk to people." Xiumin remarked smugly. "Kids these days know nothing about dating."

Hongbin groaned. "Let's not go into dating. That is dangerous territory. Never have I ever been high."

"Wait back up. Why?" Jaehwan pestered. 

"Leave him be." Hani gave Jaehwan a light hit to his chest.

"But-" Sunggyu tried before he was bowled over. 

"Because he's a heart breaker. Not going to lie, all of us girls have had crushes on you, to varying levels of course." Bomi grinned and pushed at his thigh with her toes and wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "But sorry Wonshik is more my type."

Jaehwan turned to his feeder. "You too?"

Hani just blushed. "No comment." Jaehwan sighed and took a bite from her. "I need a drink." He said in fake exasperation. Really he was just taking his shot for Hongbin's turn. Hakyeon should have taken a shot but just teethed on Taekwoon, feeling self-conscious until Taekwoon took a shot. 

"Really?" Hakyeon asked in a hush, not interested in butting into the complicated love interest structure of his staff. He didn't want to play cupid. He would leave that to Jaehwan. The rest of the guys were mining Bomi for information on who was crushing on who but she wouldn't give names. Eunji just rolled her eyes and muttered something about millennials to Xiumin. 

"They give you pain pills when you screw up your knee. I felt very floaty for a while after surgery." They were drawn back to the conversation when Amber called out loudly "Ok, ok we get it. Hongbin is sexy and he knows it." She teased. "Never have I ever…"

They went around the circle a few more times. All sorts of secrets were coming out: like that all of the guys had cross dressed at some point in their lives, there were some naughty participants that had danced on tables, there were several stories about getting arrested, first kisses, recounting of witnessed historical events, near death experiences and brushes with the paranormal. 

Hakyeon started to get quieter and quieter and didn't take bites until someone called him on it directly. They had been so engrossed in playing that when Taekwoon realized he could hear the background music there were half as many vampires as before and un occupied feeders were starting to clean up. At least the ones that could still stand up anyway. Their game ended soon after and Taekwoon decided he would try to take the passed out boss down stairs. Thankfully the elevator extended down as well and he was able to stumble his way to the couch and deposit Hakyeon there. Taekwoon was dizzy from the exertion and found himself on the coven's floor. He pulled a blanket off the back of a nearby chair and nabbed a throw pillow with heavy eyelids. 

. . .


	21. Recovery

***Heads up there were changes with Ch 20 so if you skipped it you will need to go back to understand some of what's going on. Originally it was a request for suggestions but I've since replaced it with the events of Hakyeon's alcoholic Christmas party.***

. . .

It turned out Hyuk already knew Yoongi 's nephews from the old neighborhood and school. He had a blast but had grown restless after all the boys fell asleep. Seven year old Jungkook succumbed to sleep first around midnight, then nine year old Taehyun as they watched a movie and lastly ten year old Jimin who fell asleep mid-Mario cart race around 3:30 AM. As gruff as Yoongi came across as he was very understanding of Hyuk waking him up to ask if he could be taken home around 4:00 AM. 

He was now holding Yoongi 's hand as they walked into the main lounge of Vixx. Even though the party had completely wound down by now it was still chaos. Mina and Hyeyeon were helping to clean up all of Hakyeon's extra Christmas decorations (because when it came to Christmas Hakyeon was quite extra) as well as cups and bottles littering the place. Wonshik had promised a reward to them when scheduling them for clean-up and they were now bugging him about it as he tried to mop up spills and take note of rugs and furniture that might need professional cleaning. 

"Wonshik! You promised! What are you getting us?" Hyeyeon whined.

"I bet the only reward you're going to get is not being hung over." Yoongi called out to them with an amused evil smirk.

"What!? Seriously? We've had to clean up puke. You better get us something good!" Mina shouted.

"Eww!" Hyuk added with a scrunched up face. Wonshik ignored the complaining girls and gave the two new comers a quizzical smile while leaning on his mop. "You two are back pretty early." He stated as they approached. Hyuk gave Wonshik a sheepish wave. 

"This one was getting hungry." Yoongi replied and Hyuk looked up at Yoongi and murmured an apology.

"Eh, don't worry. I don't mind at all. It's very considerate of you to not munch on sleeping people. Thanks for coming with us tonight. Did you have fun?"

Hyuk gave Yoongi a bashful but excited nod and thumbs up. The adults chuckled and Wonshik chatted with Yoongi as he walked the tired accountant out. Meanwhile Hyuk regaled the girls with that night's events and got in a bite from Hyeyeon that erased his anxiety. Wonshik shooed them back to work, ready to close up and be done for the night. He even gave Hyuk a rag and sent him to wipe down tables. It wasn't long before they were finished. Wonshik gave the girls gift cards to their favorite restaurants, made a joke about vomit then scooped up Hyuk to retreat to the basement and escape their criticism of his bad sense of humor.

The pair snickered upon walking into the living room. Jaehwan had dragged Hakyeon off the couch to take over the comfortable spot. Hakyeon, half awake at some point, had army crawled to the nearest heat source which happened to be his new pillow Taekwoon. Taekwoon was drooling on the throw pillow he had stolen. All of them still reeked of alcohol. 

"I want to wake them up." Hyuk said with an evil smile.

Wonshik snorted. "Go ahead, but it's not going to end well for you." He decided to add to the entertainment by tossing Hyuk a sharpie. He plunked down in one of the armchairs to watch the show since Hyuk was too mischievous to heed his warning. His first victim was Jaehwan. He got as far as drawing a unibrow and mustache on him before the adult woke and tossed the marker far down the hall. He was quick to snatch the troublesome child and turned him upside down. 

"Argh, yuck. I need a shower, but first I'm going to drowned Hyukkie."

"NNOO, Wonshik save me!" Hyuk cried out between the giggles of being tickled. 

"Don't worry. Vampires can't drown." He responded unhelpfully. 

"Eh, on second thought I'll save it for later. I really need a shower. I held Hani's hair back when she was throwing up in the bathroom and I still smell it. I feel too gross for your shenanigans mister. I'll release you if you promise to torment Hakyeon instead. Deal?"

"Of course!" Hyuk agreed with blazing mirth. Jaehwan flipped him to stand up right and made to disappear. He halted and glared at Wonshik "This was your doing, huh?" Pointing at the graffiti on his face.

"Oh no, I'm just an innocent bystander." He said covering his smirk by resting his chin in his hand. Jaehwan rolled his eyes "Innocent my ass. You are the least innocent person I've ever met." and trudged down the hallway. Meanwhile Hyuk decided to pounce on Hakyeon with the intention of attacking his ears with spit covered fingers. His second attempt was also thwarted by the adult's speed and he was pinned to Hakyeon like an over grown teddy bear. "Ugh. Why is this pillow so boney?" Hakyeon complained without opening his eyes. Hyuk demanded to be let go but Hakyeon pretended to still be asleep. 

"Wonshik help!" He tried for sympathy again. 

"Innocent bystander, remember? I know better than to cuddle with a drunken Hakyeon." 

"Shush Hyuk. I'm not done with my nap. I'm very comfortable right now."

"But I want my Taekwoon back."

"Take him."

"But you're laying on him." Hakyeon cracked his eyes open to check. He probably should have been clued in to the rise and fall of Taekwoon's chest under him. Hyuk was currently sandwiched in between the two adults. Both coven members were impressed that Taekwoon could sleep though all of the boy's thrashing. 

"Mmm, just leave him be. He's going to be really hung over right now." Hakyeon said trying to justify the cuddling. He gave a pleading look to Wonshik to save him from ending it. Wonshik rolled his eyes but knew that Hakyeon was right. 

"Hyuk come on, let's go hand out Jin 's hangover tonic." Hyuk followed the vampire but not before biting Hakyeon for trapping him. Unfazed Hakyeon repositioned himself and quietly settled back in. 

It startled him when Taekwoon whispered "Are they gone?"

"Yes, we're alone."

"Good, the noise was not helping my headache. I feel so dizzy right now. I don't want to move my head." He spoke in a hoarse whisper. "How about you?"

"Huh? What about me?"

"You mean vampires get drunk but they don't get hang overs?" Taekwoon asked jealously. 

"Ha yeah, a perk of fast healing." Hakyeon gloated and gently patted Taekwoon's aching head. 

Taekwoon sighed. "I hate me, I should have remembered to drink water." Hakyeon had mercy on him and grabbed some from the tap along with a straw. Taekwoon drank his fill and nestled back into his pillow. Hakyeon thought he was asleep but was again caught off guard when Taekwoon spoke.

"So does all of this mean you're done avoiding me?" 

"I wasn't avoiding you." Hakyeon responded with a feeling of guilt. 

"Bull. And don't try to use tonight as an example to back your claim. I don't really know what to make of tonight. That's why I'm asking I guess. Are you forgetful when you get drunk?"

"I…no. I'm not forgetful."

"Then what's going on with you?"

"It's hard to explain." Hakyeon said truthfully unsure of how to discuss his illogical, wordless anxiety.

"Hakyeon, don't make me strangle you."

"Don't act tough, you don't have the capability. Just rest." 

Taekwoon pinched the vampire. "Don't treat me like a child." He murmured sounding very much like a grumpy child. "Why were you avoiding me?" 

Wonshik had given him an idea of why. Maybe his logical brain was too drunk to stop him from pushing the issue and his emotional brain was taking over. Hakyeon told him to rest again and Taekwoon, annoyed with Hakyeon being evasive, pinched him harder. Hakyeon smacked his hand. "Child I swear" He growled and scooted away. 

Taekwoon groaned in frustration and pulled his pillow closer. Hakyeon retrieved another throw pillow and took half of the inebriated man's blanket, laying back to back with him. "Relax, I'm not going anywhere." 

Taekwoon decided to play dumb. "I don't know what I did wrong but I hope we can be friends again."

"Shush, you didn't do anything wrong. It's on my end. I'll fix it."

"m'kay." This time Taekwoon really did go back to sleep. Hakyeon kind of did want to keep talking but settled for being allow to be close to Taekwoon without repercussions.

. . . 

"Here take him. He keeps trying to attack people in their sleep and several people have gotten bitten trying to get rid of him." Wonshik said. Hyuk had done just that as Wonshik meandered among dorms and apartments to force the hangover cure on the staff. It had never failed to ease the symptoms drastically within an hour of taking it, no matter how much was consumed. Unfortunately it also had a foul taste and he didn't trust the staff to not pour it down the drain. He did need to wake a few up to do this but Hyuk's awakenings were rude. Funny but rude.

"Why would I want him then?" Hongbin asked with raised eyebrows. Hyuk looked dead pan like he hadn't been the little terror described moments earlier. 

"It's his bed time and Taekwoon is passed out in our apartment. Since you were taking him tomorrow evening you may as well take him now." 

"Will it get me out of having to drink that nasty crap Jin makes?"

"Do you want a hangover?"

"I'll take that as a yes, come on Hyukkie." Hongbin gave the kid a high five and closed the door on Wonshik. 

They snoozed until dusk, brain storming what to get the others for Christmas and smack talking each about who would win more tickets at the arcade games all the way to the mall. It put Hongbin at ease to see Hyuk being a normal, energetic kid after all that he had been through. He wanted to try every game in the arcade and was ecstatic when Hongbin gave him his tickets so that he could get a Totoro plushie. He ran around stores looking at everything and trying on the more ridiculous items he saw. More than once Hongbin had to chase him out from the middle of clothing racks though reluctantly because startling other customers was pretty funny. Hongbin was amused with all of Hyuk's suggestions on presents because they were all things that the mini vampire would want that the other adults probably wouldn't have as much of an appreciation for. He was allowed to buy presents for Sungjae and Namjoo but Hongbin wisely had them wrapped in store so they would actually make it to their recipients. He had no idea how Taekwoon kept his sanity when shopping with the little energizer bunny in tow. As fun as it was he thought he might need another nap once returning the boy back to his care taker. 

. . .


	22. Bad Medicine

"Hakyeon Help! I can't find Hyuk."

"Chill out he's probably hiding in the walk in fridge. Jin was complaining about him scaring the crap out of him when he found him hiding on the bottom shelf. I don't know why you guys play that game. He always wins."

"No, no Hakyeon, I mean we are out shopping, not playing hide and seek. I made him promise not to play hide and seek here. He's been behaving well. Something is wrong. I need you to come to the mall right now. Please, please, please! You can probably smell him and find him. Oh God, Taekwoon is going to kill me! I'm freaking out! What do I do?" Hongbin sounded like he was going to panic himself in to hyperventilating. 

"Ok, listen to me, I'm on my way. Breath. I'll be there soon. Just stay put ok?"

Hongbin spooked when Hakyeon arrived and tapped his shoulder. He looked like he was on the verge of a break down and the boss pulled him into a hug. "It's ok, I'm sure he's close by. Where did you last see him?"

"In that store. I was paying for this and when I turned around he was gone. I already searched the store."

Hakyeon paced down the hall, then turned around and went the same distance in the opposite direction. He stopped near the railing and pointed. "He's somewhere down there." Hakyeon shepherded Hongbin down the escalator to the ground floor. He wove around the kiosks in the center of the hall ignoring all the sales people who were desperately trying to sell their inventory. Hongbin trailed behind him like an anxious baby duck. He stood back and surveyed the kiosks before a sly grin crept over his face. "Huh, smart." Hakyeon said, clearly impressed with what he had pieced together. He circled a kiosk selling perfume. He was so focused he just shushed the sales lady and guided her out of the way so pull at the table skirt. Balled up in the center was the mini vampire who was trembling in terror and tightly clutching his Totoro plushie. Hakyeon moved as soothingly as possible as he pulled Hyuk out and took him to sit on a nearby bench. The sales lady gaped unflatteringly and Hongbin quickly muttered an apology before following to sit next to the vampires. Hyuk was clinging to Hakyeon, eyes wildly searching the open space. "Is he gone?" 

"Who?"

"My maker, I didn't see him but I could smell him. He smells like bad medicine." 

Hakyeon gently deposited Hyuk into Hongbin's lap then called Wonshik. He skipped pleasantries and went straight to orders. "I need you and Jaehwan to come to the mall. I have a lead on Hyuk's maker, so when you get here catch up to me. Have Jaehwan take Hongbin and Hyuk back to Vixx." He abruptly hung up and escorted them to a family bathroom rather than one with stalls. "Don't come out until Jaehwan calls you." 

He then disappeared to chase what Hyuk had described. It didn't take him long to latch onto the scent and it led him through a department store at the end of the north wing. He must have completely missed Hyuk because he had weaved his way through the men's section before leaving out the main door. Something felt really off but Hakyeon didn't want to lose him. This might be the only way to get answers. Maybe shut down the monster for good. 

Hakyeon pursued the maker to a secluded strip mall on the other side of the enormous mall parking lot. Hakyeon wasn't expecting to walk right to him, but there he was leaning on one of the thick pillars lighting up a cigarette. "Care to tell me why you're following me?" His voice was stern and quiet, his eyes empty of any life. Hakyeon wondered why the other vampire was making this so easy. 

"Why do you think?" Hakyeon countered, feeling like if he had hackles they would be on the rise. 

"Any number of reasons I guess. I've made a lot of people angry. You smell familiar. Do I know you?"

"You know a friend of mine. He sent me."

"Oh? What does your friend want?" The stranger asked nonchalantly. Hakyeon stayed silent waiting for the stranger to give away something. 

The maker chuckled. "Don't tell me you don't know." He scoffed. "What's your plan exactly? Are you going to try to retrieve me, kill me or are we making some kind of deal? You obviously don't have a message to deliver."

Hakyeon's rage was overwhelming him. "What you did was inexcusable. You're a sick fuck, you know that right?" 

"Ah, it's to kill me then. But before all that, it's really bugging me. Who is your friend? And do I get to know why I'm dying?" He asked emotionlessly. 

Hakyeon stood stalk still. He had Hyuk's scent on him. He couldn't say anything more without making their position more precarious. He wasn't going to get any more information. The maker was too careful. 

"At least tell me where to send your body. A dumpster doesn't seem like a very dignified final resting place." He then took a drag on the cigarette.

Careful but cocky. 

"You first, if I win what do I do with your body?"

"Just chuck me in the ocean. I don't care. You seem mad, you could leave me in the dumpster. It doesn't matter. My children will get over it." 

Hakyeon had the impulse to have his body sent to his mother. Kibum would finish this guy. Screw it, his family could handle it. It was decent insurance if he didn't make it and a minimal liability.

"If you're feeling so inclined send me to my coven. My maker is Joo Eunyoung. We live on the main road down to the west marina. Big ugly yellow house on the hill, you can't miss it."

"Fight well and I'll honor it." The stranger said looking bored but oddly genuine. Hakyeon was slammed into a pillar, cement cracking under him. He saw it coming and relaxed all of his muscles. It was his turn to be cocky. Up close was his favorite combat range. They grappled, the stranger trying to avoid getting caught by the twists and locks Hakyeon set up. It didn't take very long for Hakyeon to get a hold on the makers arm to lock it. It would have worked if his opponent hadn't allowed his arm to break to get out of it. He quickly launched out of Hakyeon's territory and with the still functional arm chucked a newspaper stand at him. Hakyeon ducked to avoid it but it was followed up by a kick to his face. He was about to get dragged to be slung through one of the expansive store windows but was able to crunch up enough to reach the attackers ankle and kick him hard in the hip. The maker fell and Hakyeon rolled back to his feet. He returned the favor of the newspaper stand then straddled the man to punch his face until it was a puddle of eviscerated flesh. He was well on his way when headlights shone on them and three burley vampires rapidly pinned Hakyeon to the ground, wrenching his limbs almost out of joint. They smelled just like their maker. The smell was too similar. One of them kicked Hakyeon in the face just to cut off his vision for the fun of it. "No more of that, I want him recognizable." 

"Unlike you? You won't be picking up any ladies anytime soon. At least now you have matching faces." 

"Yes, kiddo unlike me." The maker sighed in response. "If you're going to play it that way, remember I'll heal. You're stuck ugly." He reminded him, unamused with his guard's attempt at humor.

Another asked with impatience "Boss how are we supposed to protect you if you wander off by yourself? And how do you always manage to piss people off?"

"This time I was just minding my own business and he came out of nowhere. I figured getting a few new shirts would be uneventful but I guess not." 

The last thug stepped on the back of Hakyeon's neck and lifted his head by his hair. "What would you like us to do with him?" The maker picked up the still smoldering cigarette he had left on the window sill and puffed on it again. He blew smoke in Hakyeon's face. "He fought well. You can break everything else but let his face heal. Then finish him and put him in a light proof body bag and I'll tell you where to take him. "

"You know, same goes for my boss. How am I supposed to protect him if he wanders off? Though I'm not even remotely surprised he's managed to piss someone off." Wonshik calmly walked out from behind one of the pillars. The closest thug charged, his startled rage decimated to pain as Wonshik landed a heavy kick to thug's knee cap. The leg bent in ways it wasn't supposed to and without the first thug in the way he then stabbed the next with a silver knife before the gangster could even get a hit in. He turned to face the other two but halted, feeling like his chest was about to implode. They had positioned Hakyeon so that they could curb stomp him. Not even a vampire would survive that. 

"I guess he wouldn't be recognizable this way." The maker said, devoid of all emotion. "It’s a shame, he fought too well for this. I was definitely a goner. What is this all about anyways? He wouldn't tell me. Who sent you two?" Wonshik didn't remember the last time he had been this scared, let alone scared at all. Wonshik's voice wavered. "Let's call it a draw? You take yours, I'll take mine?" Wonshik pleaded taking out the knife as a show of good faith. "Fair enough." The stranger replied. He rolled Hakyeon off the curb to his back. "Get those two in the car." The maker commanded of the guard that had remained unharmed. Wonshik moved to go to Hakyeon but the stranger rested his foot on Hakyeon's chin. "You didn't answer my questions though. You're awfully quiet for people holding a grudge." He put a little bit of weight forward. 

"Don't you dare say a word! No names." Hakyeon snarled, baring bloody teeth. 

"I've got some names for you. You're a fucking moron." Wonshik retorted to his coven member. Wonshik paused watching the thugs get tucked away in the car. "Go to your car door first." Wonshik said, wanting a little bit of distance so they couldn't re-engage. The stranger complied. 

"Han. That's all you will need to figure it out." Wonshik muttered as he lifted Hakyeon. 

"Is that so?" The maker looked perplexed. "I'll give it a go I guess. Until next time." He smiled for the first time that night and it was the kind of smile that made your skin crawl. 

. . .

As much as he had wanted to wait for them, Wonshik was very adamant that Hyuk and Hongbin came first and they needed to go back to the safety of Vixx. His reasoning was that if they were off stalking the maker he wouldn't be able to follow them back. Jaehwan left his car for Wonshik and drove Hongbin's back. The whole drive Hongbin clutched Hyuk tightly to himself. He was struggling to keep his breathing steady. He kept checking Hyuk trying to get him to show signs of life but the boy's mind was claimed by memories and flashbacks. He barely responded to anything beyond habitually clicking his own seatbelt in place. He was completely limp, head resting on Hongbin's shoulder as the distressed feeder carried him to the staff room. 

Hani, who was the feeder with the most seniority, had graciously managed the front for the vampires and Jaehwan left to check in with her and to pull Taekwoon. Hongbin sat down with Hyuk and gently tapped his face. His eyes were open but Hongbin still felt the need to say. "Hyukkie, wake up, we're home. We’re safe." But Hyuk just continued to stare off in the distance. Taekwoon rounded the corner and the sight of the two startled him. "Are you guys ok? What happened?"

"Taekwoon, I'm sorry…I should have…I didn't know that this would…It happened so fast, I'm sorry."

"Hongbin, slow down. Why are you sorry? What is going on?" Taekwoon asked. He ran his fingers through Hongbin's hair reassuringly. "It's ok, you're safe." He prompted trying to keep his worry from spreading. Jaehwan took care of the explanation.

"They came across Hyuk's maker. He didn't see them thankfully. I don't think he was stalking them. It was just a coincidence. Hakyeon and Wonshik are following his scent and hopefully they will end this. Hyuk is in shock right now though. You'll need to do that thing you did last time…" Hongbin panicked when Taekwoon bit down on his index finger hard enough to draw blood. He ignored his fellow feeder's chattering sounds of alarm and brushed Hyuk's lips with the escaping droplets. Hyuk blinked and his eyes came back into focus. "Ok, I guess that works." Hongbin muttered. 

"What's going on?" Hyuk asked, disoriented as if he had just woken up for the morning. 

"It's ok buddy, you were just spacing out. You didn't miss much. Pop quiz time, name some textures you are feeling right now. What does Hongbin's coat feel like?" This quizzing went on for several minutes, Jaehwan bringing them more things when they ran out of textures in the immediate vicinity. Hyuk became more grounded to the present. He gingerly unfurled, gradually allowing his own muscles to support himself until he was standing. Neither Guardian or charge seemed too phased by the flashback as this happened often enough that recovery was becoming easier. "How are you feeling?" Hongbin asked, breath still not in a steady rhythm. He was dreading when Taekwoon would turn to deal with him and his failure. 

"Better" Hyuk shrugged. "Hongbin, you're shivering. You need a blanket." The boy remarked blankly. 

"Heh, yeah I guess so." 

"I'll go get some. Do you want enough to make a nest?" Taekwoon asked Hyuk, who responded in an affirmative hum. The three of them huddled up against the wall buried in blankets. Hyuk was completely submerged. The only sign of him was a solid feeling lump curled up at their feet. Hongbin shakily reached in his pocket for spare change and fished around the edge of Hyuk's blanketed form until he could find Hyuk's hand to give him a quarter. Taekwoon pulled Hongbin in to lean on him. He looked up at Taekwoon with a medley of emotions, mostly fear, guilt and oddly hope. "Taekwoon I'm sor-"

"shu,shu,shu. You don't need to be sorry. None of it was your fault. You did well. You brought him back in one piece."

Jaehwan watched the trio and listening to Taekwoon's reassuring murmurs. He couldn't get those words to sink into himself though. His brothers were still out there and he was too twitchy to sit still. He even kicked out feeders coming in to get an IV. He made Jin do the math on the weigh in's. Jaehwan busied himself with pulling out medical supplies and then putting them away, then pulling them out again, all the while trying not to bite his fingernails. He was doing the routine for a third time when Wonshik came in carrying the bloody pulp that was Hakyeon. All of them gaped in horror. Hyuk heard them coming and peaked out to see the scene. He wriggled out from the blankets and whispered to Taekwoon that he wanted to go see Hakyeon. Taekwoon was reluctant but just warned him not to be underfoot. The feeders watched him pick up one of the plastic bags they had brought home from the mall and scamper down the hall. 

Hyuk waited until Wonshik left for the lounge then snuck into the office. "Hyuk, not right now." Jaehwan said harshly. Hakyeon however dismissed the order and asked Hyuk to come sit by him while Jaehwan cleaned him up. "There, that's the most I'll do since your body will naturally heal a lot of this anyway. Wonshik said he was going to get you a feeder." Jaehwan explained. 

Hakyeon's blood had coagulated over all of his cuts leaving a plethora of red but dry slashes all over. His face was a puffy, dying sunset of purples, reds and the occasion yellow spot. His eyes were completely blood shot and unseeing. His movements were weak and flowy

"Thanks Jaehwan, sorry about coming back all messed up." 

Jaehwan's head drooped and he had a pained expression. "Don't worry, just rest." He said and then left the room to deal with his own wrecking distress. In the remaining quiet Hakyeon sighed and let himself melt into the couch. Hyuk quietly sat cross legged next to him listening to his labored breathing. Hyuk fidgeted with the plastic bag unsure of what to do. 

"Hyukkie I can't see anything right now. How bad is it? My face I mean." 

"You can't see?"

"Blind as a bat."

"Oh,…um…I guess…you look like a blind potato." He shrugged. On the playground calling someone a potato meant they were ugly. With the texture of his bruises this seemed like a more literal comparison. "Your eyes are a little creepy right now." He added. 

"Hm, that sounds about right. Could you do me a favor and see if any one has any sunglasses. Or grab somthing I can tie it over my eyes." Hyuk rustled in the bag and brought out a soft plaid scarf that they had bought for Taekwoon's Christmas present. He snapped off the tags and stood on the couch next to Hakyeon to tie it. He carefully folded it in half length-wise and lightly set it over the upper part of Hakyeon's face before gingerly making a knot. He looked much less scary now. "Will that work?"

Hakyeon nodded and smiled. "It's perfect."

"Good. Keep it. Merry Christmas."

"Really?" Hakyeon asked with raised eyebrows. "What about Taekwoon? Weren't you getting this for him?" 

"I'll just make Hongbin buy something else. If he doesn't I'll just bite him really hard."

"No, that's mean. No taking chunks out of Hongbin. I'll take care of it. We can go shopping when I can see again." Hyuk sat back down cross legged but this time facing Hakyeon. He held Hakyeon's hand and toyed with his fingers. Hakyeon was completely lax and Hyuk wasn't sure if he was awake or not. 

With a shuttering breath he decided to ask about what he was scared of "Hakyeon?"

"Yeah?" Hakyeon sounded like he was drifting off. 

"What was he like?" Hakyeon thought about what to tell the nervous boy.

"He didn't know you were there and couldn't recognize your scent on me. You were right, he smelled like bad medicine."

"What else?"

"He's scary but I'm scarier." 

"What else?"

"Oh my gosh child….He was a tall Asian guy who smokes. He didn't smile. He was calm even when I nearly killed him. His henchmen showed up before I could. He was…." What else? "Evil but honest. I don't know if that makes sense." They sat quietly until there was a knock on the door.

. . .

Wonshik settled Hakyeon on the couch in his office before approaching the feeders on shift. "Who wants time off?" 

"I'd like finals week off. I still need to finish an essay." Minhyuk said raising his hand. 

"How long out is that again?"

"It starts Monday." 

"Perfect, come with me." Wonshik lowered his voice once Minhyuk was near. "Hakyeon is in his office. He's in need of a sustenance feed. He's not very lucid right now so if he's taking too much don't be afraid to use your silver. It's not going to hurt him to go through a little more pain. I have to warn you he's looking pretty ugly right now and probably still blind. Please keep what you see under wraps." Minhyuk nodded, solemn from Wonshik's cagey, hushed tone. "Go on ahead I need to make a phone call." He brought Eunyoung up in his contacts and hit call. "Wonshikkie! What's up?" She greeted cheerfully.

"If anyone asks you have to pretend not to know Hakyeon. His brothers need to do the same too."

"What happened?" she asked coldly. Wonshik released his breath slowly. 

"Come see for yourself."

. . .


	23. Brothers

***Huge side character death moment in the last two paragraphs. I'm putting this warning up because it's way too close to reality for comfort. Shawol's I am so sorry. I cried writing this. I wasn't sure how to treat the situation or if I should do it at all. Don't hate me please. I don't want to pretend everything is fine for them as if it never happened. It just seemed to fit to the situation and in a way it's a bit of a tribute to Jonghyun, who we all love and miss.***

 

"Oh God, Hakyeon honey, who did this to you?" Eunyoung asked. Hakyeon felt the impulse tell his family to go home but resisted, being that he had thrown them under the bus during the fight. 

"His maker." He gestured to Hyuk who he was currently hugging to himself. The child was passed out for the day, snuggled in on top of the injured mess that was Hakyeon. 

"So this is child vampire..." She said in awe. Hakyeon couldn't see them but he knew they were staring.  
   
"What was that saying? Take a picture it will last longer." He sassed. Ryeowook took him seriously and actually did as suggested. "Wookie really not the time. I was being sarcastic." 

"Oh, sorry." Hakyeon really didn't want a picture of himself laying around looking like a bloody marshmallow circulating no matter how cute Hyuk might look right now. He made a mental note to steal Ryeowook 's phone later.

"Ki, what are you doing here? I thought I made it clear you were banned."

"Oh for fucks sake, I'm sober. Just let me take care of you idiot." Kibum demanded.

"I have a coven who has already done that. Now lower your voices so you don't wake him up." He responded with a harsh hiss. 

"Whatever." Kibum pressed on pretending not to be affected by the animosity. "Tell me how to find this guy and I'll end it."

"I don't know how. He'll probably come to you guys since I told him I lived with you. So no letting Eun young out of your sight." Eun young was a bit of a damsel in distress and their weakest link in terms of a fight. 

"Why did you do that?" She pouted. "I've gotten quite used to not needing a body guard." Ryeowook coughed behind her to remind her she had one even if no serious protection had been needed for a long time.

"Shouldn't your question be why did you tell them where we live?" Kibum scoffed. 

"Yeah!" She whisper yelled. "What the hell?"

"I needed insurance that someone would protect Hyuk. You'd go get your revenge and that would take care of it. That and there are a ton of humans here. You really think I should tell him about this place? You made sure no one followed you right?"

"What do you take me for? Wonshik called with a cryptic message about you being messed up and you think I'd come here via parade? Clown car? Mid-life crisis sports car? More importantly you didn't have to tell him anything at all, you dumb fuck." Kibum growled. "At least tell me where the fight was and I can see if I can do a little tracking."

"It was at the mall but just recon. This is like the old days. You'll need a team. He wasn't much but he had help from a batch."

"Are you saying someone has made another army here? Here of all places?" Ryeowook asked with a strained voice.

"Yes. I don't know if it's the same scale as San E's. But they were batch made like Wonshik. Their smell was disgusting. They reek of the drugs they're moving." 

Everyone stood around not knowing what to say. It was nearly dawn and Hakyeon told them they could stay in the Vixx coven's down stairs apartment. Eun young kissed his forehead as she left and to lift the mood Ryeowook did the same. To Hakyeon's annoyance Kibum was still leaning on his desk looking at the two. He was quiet and motionless for so long that Hakyeon figured he just wanted to stand watch and tried to drift off. With the pain he was as comfortable as he was going to get. Hyuk was a comfort as well. He couldn't sleep though. Somehow Kibum sensed it. They had always been somewhat in sync, never needing to say a word when executing a plan, whether it had been battles, political maneuvering or dealing with their family. 

"Do you want to know why I'm back?"

"No, go to sleep." Hakyeon sharply dismissed Ki. With a shaky breath Ki took a seat at the older vampire's desk and played with a pen. 

"…Fine, fuck it. Spit it out. You're going to tell me regardless of what I say." Hakyeon rasped. 

"I…all of your guy's guesses are right. I was out 'playing soldier' as you call it. Eun young was right, I was out learning more languages too. I was also out doing humanitarian work. Ryeowook can be an insightful little pest sometimes."

"Sorry you lost me at humanitarian work."

"Trying to rehabilitate child soldiers. I would either be the night guard at the facility or I would go out and kill the bastards who were stealing them. It's not really like I was fit for teaching them how to reintegrate themselves into society, but I wanted to help somehow. " Hakyeon was quiet. He really didn't know what to do with the information. It didn't make him feel any different about his brother even though it was admirable. 

"We had to start killing batch made vampire soldiers, some of which were children. There was no way to rehabilitate those kids. To answer your question vampire children grow up. That's why I kept going back to the DRC on and off for the past 45 years. The last of the brood survived all of our hunting efforts and became ruthless and smart. They were nothing but animals that could speak Swahili. I can't really fault them for enjoying killing. It's in our nature, but this was too sick even for me. 

Believe it or not I looked ten times worse than you do in our last fight. If Onew, Minho and Jonghyun hadn't saved me I would have died. We…we lost Jonghyun trying to get the last three…fuck…anyway…I was a mess. I still can't feel anything in half of my fingers and I can't hear worth shit. Quite the pair aren't we? Blind and deaf. They cut off my tongue when torturing me. I didn't want to come back until I could tease you. If they were a centimeter higher when they tried to cut my spinal cord I would have died. Lucky for me re-growing nerves bundles and soft tissue goes much faster than bone, and it's not all that painful. I think you had it worse that one time with….well. That’s where I was for the past year. Every day I can feel a little more and that makes me smile like a God damn idiot every time I feel a new spot…Anyway that's your bed time story. Go to sleep." 

Ki got up from the chair and stretched. He then made his way over to Hakyeon and gingerly kissed his forehead as the rest of their family had. Hakyeon could barely breath over the lump in his throat. Kibum sat on the floor next to him and rested his chin on the couch cushion near Hakyeon's head, stroking his hair and swiping away tears that made it past the scarf. With rattled breath he softly murmured. "I came back because I realized I didn't want to die without telling you I'm sorry. I never should have said that stuff about you and Seokyeon. I get it now. I know what it's like to lose an older brother you love and look up to. My coven older brother is still alive and I'm keeping it that way. I'll follow your lead in this fight. I don't want to lose you. Let me protect you."

. . .


	24. Naming Rights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how much fun I had writing this chapter :D

Hakyeon didn't call a staff meeting so he was confused about the small crowd of feeders gathered around the manager. 

"Hakyeon! Come see Wonshik's new puppy!" Hyuk called practically wiggling like a puppy himself.

"His new what?" Hakyeon stated in confusion. Wonshik hadn't even talked about getting a pet, much less one that would be a blink in their life span. 

"Isn't he cute! I found him in the alley ambushing crows that were picking through the trash. I almost thought I was seeing a chunk of snow moving. He just blended right in. Poor little guy doesn't have thick enough fur to be out in the cold so I took him inside. I think I'm going to name him badass because those crows were twice his size." Wonshik explained with a beaming smile. On his lap sat what looked like a tiny French bulldog gnawing on whatever came near his mouth. 

"I still think we should go with the first suggestion. I like the one you came up with, Rovix. It sounds very bulldog-y and tough." Jaehwan pouted. "You'll get out voted on that one I think." Hongbin said dryly to which Jaehwan responded by maturely sticking out his tongue. Hongbin started throwing out other names to troll the vampires. "The possibilities are endless. Name him something weird like Snow White or Blizzard, Frosty the snow man, Crack-Cocaine, Crow Killer- nah, just Killer, teeth, Indominable snowman-" 

"Nope his name is badass. Who said we were voting? This my dog. I'm the dictator. Merry Christmas to Wonshik!" Wonshik giggled gleefully as the puppy licked him. Hakyeon came closer to examine the tiny animal with an uncertain expression. 

"I think you should name him butt." The crowd rounded on him with protests of how mean he was.

"What? He's butt ugly. Don't get me wrong, he's so ugly that he's cute. I can come up with synonyms for ugly or butt." Hakyeon rebelled nonchalantly. 

"Like badass. That's final. Ouch. Stop it you. Don’t be a…" The puppy's sharp teeth had found Wonshik's fingers and upon realizing what he was about to say he protested adamantly "No! we are not calling him Butt!" 

"Call him whatever you want. I'm calling him Butt." The eldest antagonized. 

Wonshik's eyes narrowed. "Try it and I'll come up with a new name for you. If I start calling you dick face I think it will catch on." The two glared at each other, neither wanting to back down in this trivial challenge.

"Girls, girls. Stop fighting. You're both pretty. Now I propose we settle it this way. Whoever wants to win naming rights bring an extra present for Hyuk to the white elephant thing we're doing and whoever's gift is Hyuk's favorite gets to name the dog. Fair?" Jaehwan looked smug with how brilliant his solution was and secretly happy to spoil the only kid they had around. Christmas was a good kid spoiling holiday.

"Oh, I got this. Save mine for last." Hakyeon said with an evil smile. 

"Wow, someone's cocky. I got some pretty cool stuff. You might be eating your words." Wonshik sent Hakyeon a challenging smirk.

"Oh, children. Just you wait. I'll be showing you how it's done." Jaehwan sat back looking quite pleased with himself. 

The real winner in all of this would be Hyuk. He hummed excitedly and clapped his hands as they spoke about one upping each other. The beaming, silly smile on his face from all the smack talk was ludicrously wide. He tipped off his chair like a slinky and Taekwoon could sense the building hyper-ness they had condemned him to. He squatted down behind Hyuk to whisper "Just remember they're really old so they might not really know what they're talking about. Even if you don't like it don't tell them that. It will hurt their feelings 'kay?"

"m'kay." Sensing the authority in Taekwoon voice, he timidly agreed to allowing the vampires to keep their dignity regardless of what was presented. 

"I don't really know if we can compete with these guys. They're loaded." Hongbin frowned. "We make decent money but they've had the benefit of making decent money for centuries." He conferred with Taekwoon as he returned to his previous spot. "Eh, money helps, sure, but I think they're hyping this up too much. I'm not out to win. I just want Hyuk to be happy. That's what it should really be about, not their pissing contest over dog names. They're a bunch of idiots. 

"You're just saying that because you can't come up with a good name." Hongbin pouted. "I for one want to name this dog something ridiculous. 

Taekwoon raised his eyebrows with a stern expression. "I just don't like them using Hyuk like this. The motives are all wrong, it's just greedy and ingenuine. He needs hugs and simple things, not grandstanding. He needs to know he's loved. Watching all of this makes me a little sad. I hope everyone at least personalizes it a bit."

. . .

With lots of reassurance, and Wonshik along, Hyuk felt more safe about going to a different mall across town. He still needed to get something for his guardian and Taekwoon asked him to pick out a white elephant gift for the two of them to give. He wasn't very good at funny gifts and given that Hongbin and Hyuk were evil little pranksters it seemed fitting. 

On the night of the pair brought a pair of Christmas sunglasses and Rudolf the reindeer onesie and with mortification almost left the game with leopard print leggings. Luckily afterwards Eunji and Taekwoon conducted a secret trade so that she didn't get stuck with a cookbook from Taemin, who gleefully had rigged the game so a vampire received it. 

There were surprisingly few participants in the dog naming competition. Taekwoon wasn't going to participate either but out of spite decided if he won they would do a crowd vote on all of Hongbin's weird ideas. A few vampires gave Hyuk gift cards or small toys but most didn't know about the contest until they got to play with the dog that night.

"Hand me Taekwoon's. It was really heavy when he had me carry it in." Hyuk said excitedly.

"Ooh, nice." Wonshik complimented at the heft of the box. Hyuk tore into it. Wrapping paper was flung into the air and Hyuk bit his lip as he smiled. 

"I know it's not the fanciest and you don't have to pick it as your favorite but I hope you like it." 

Hyuk nodded like an excited puppy as he started revealing a box set of all the Harry Potter books, a fluffy Hedwig plushie, pencils shaped like wands and a snitch Christmas tree ornament. 

"Decent?" He asked with a soft smile.

"More like Awesome." Hyuk said brightly as he hugged the books. "Thanks Taekwoon! You're the best!"

"You just started. You can't pick a winner just yet." Jaehwan scolded. Hyuk stuck his tongue out at the adult. "I haven't picked a winner. I'm just saying Taekwoon is awesome and I like him the most out of all of you. Now, next!" Hyuk demanded excitedly. The rest of them shrugged as the next present came forth, not really offended by the remark. They already knew if that was what the competition was over they all definitely would have lost by a long shot.

"Ok then, who is your second fav-ouch." Hakyeon pinched the back of Jaehwan's arm with a savage warning glare. "Never mind." He sulked and rubbed at his arm. 

"Wonshik, hand him mine next. If you like big, heavy presents then you'll like mine." Hongbin said with a smirk. 

"Holy hell, what did you get him? Lead filled bowling balls?" Wonshik grumbled incredulously despite lifting it with ease. Hongbin just snickered mirthfully. Upon disemboweling the box from the wrapping paper it was further reinforced that Hongbin was a master troll. The box was covered in packing tape and shrink wrap. After an eternity of frustration Hongbin took pity on Hyuk and stabbed the box so that Hyuk could tear back the flaps. 

"Dirt?" Hyuk puzzled. "Why dirt?" 

"There's buried treasure in there." 

"Ooh, you're playing dirty!" Mimi cackled. 

"Just for making a cheesy joke you have to vacuum later." Hakyeon said with a grimace. 

"Why me? Hongbin is the jerk with a box of dirt." Mimi complained in a sing-song-y fashion. 

Hyuk rooted around before pulling out another red and green wrapped box, this time free of irritating packaging methods. It was heavy and half the size of a shoe box. Once the wrapping paper was discarded Hyuk displayed the humiliating present. "Barbie stickers, Really?" He glowered at the feeder. Hongbin laughed manically. "Oh, come on. Don't give up. That is really heavy for sheets of stickers, don't you think?" He teased. Hyuk huffed and tore into the offending box making sure to rip the picture. He smiled and tipped the contents of the box out. Heavy cylinders of quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies slid out. 

"I got you some of each flavor. Though you may want to save the quarters for more arcade trips." Hongbin smiled giddily. Hyuk wiggled happily before spying the sheet of stickers. "I love it! But…What am I supposed to do with Barbie stickers?" He said flatly. 

"Hm, you have vampires you can decorate. I'm sure they would love to be sparkly." Hongbin said with smug mischievousness. They shared conniving smiles before Hyuk was chasing the adults like a wild dog, dispatching adhesive pictures of Barbie where ever they would stick. In the end there was a group effort to pin down a disgruntled Hakyeon to squander the rest of the sheets on. 

"Ha ha! Hakyeon's a sparkly vampire!" 

"Joke's on you. I feel very pretty right now." Hakyeon rubbed at the shedding stickers to spread the glitter and preened in the front camera of his phone. "Maybe I should do sparkles more often. It's quite striking." The rest of the room's occupants grumbled and rolled their eyes. 

Jaehwan rolled his eyes. "Yes, you are a pretty, pretty princess. Me next!" Jaehwan called out. Hakyeon glared at him but went back to preening. 

Jaehwan passed another large box toward him. Hyuk's eyes grew wide looking at the contents which appeared to be every volume of the manga One Piece. "Woah…They are up to the 87? I had no idea…" He was stunned by the extravagant gift. This much manga was probably close to $1000.00-ish. He just stared and blinked in startled amazement, doing mental math. If he read one each week he would need a year and…80-50=30, 7-2=5 so, yeah 35 weeks to read all of it.

"I think you broke him." Jamie said taking in the blank amazement of the mini vampire. 

"Too much?" Jaehwan quietly asked suddenly feeling self-conscious. 

"You think?" Taekwoon whispered to him sarcastically.

"If it makes you feel better they're all used. I've read them all. And reread them a couple times too. I've been collecting them since they first started coming out."

"So in other words you were just getting rid of a collection you didn't want anymore?" Jinyoung snarked.

"Don't you dare! Those are precious! It's that I think that highly of Hyukkie that I want to give these to him. The series is one of his favorites I'll have you know!"

Taekwoon clapped loudly to get the boy's attention. "Hyuk, say thank you." He reminded him swiftly and quietly.

"Oh! Yeah, Thanks Jaehwan. This is just, wow! Like seriously wow."

"Mind blown?"

"And then some…times like a thousand…" Hyuk mumbled. He was finally starting to remember where he was and with a big grin went over to hug Jaehwan. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He cheered. Jaehwan was relieved that he hadn't in fact broken the kid by going overboard. He would need to give him things in moderation in the future. Being silly he wobbled the boy side to side, both sharing wide smiles.

Wonshik was content to let them have their moment for as long as possible. He was a little worried he went overboard too. Way overboard. But Taekwoon had told him about all the cool ideas they had thought up for Hyuk's room and had just been too preoccupied to do any of it. He set up some of that type of stuff up on Vixx. He could set some of it up for them too. He quietly handed an envelope to Taekwoon. "This is for both of you. I'll do the set up." He said quietly and vanished to Hakyeon's side under the pretense of asking some vague, important question.

Taekwoon slid the envelope open while Hyuk and the others were still dorking around. Inside were folded sheets of papers- internet order confirmation slips. One order had several TVs of varying sizes. Another had orders for electrical supplies. Another for hardware and water proofing. He was going to set up the display in their living room, and probably Hyuk's room, to have a changeable scenery. Now it was Taekwoon's turn to break and stare at the wild gift. This was way over the top. These vampires were ridiculous. Even though Wonshik had sharpie 'd out all of the prices he could still do the mental math for an estimate and nearly choked. Holy Shit. These Vampires were insane. He felt himself having a secret mental breakdown, mouth agape, oblivious to his surroundings. 

"Hakyeon, save me." Wonshik whispered to his coven member.

"From what?" Hakyeon asked cocking his head to the side curiously. Wonshik pointed to the shocked feeder. 

"Can you convince everyone to say we pooled money to get him and Hyukkie my gift? Save theirs for Hyuk's birthday or something? I kind of over did it and I don't want to freak him out."

"Oh, oookkkk…What did you get him?"

"It's for both of them. You know our tree thing in the lounge? I'm doing that on their windows but with TV's since projectors wouldn't work as well."

"Holy shit…"

"Please help." Wonshik pleaded. 

"Alright..…Completely minor right now but you forfeit the right to name your dog, who is currently chewing on that cardboard box. You deal with him and I'll get together some others." Hakyeon   
Spoke with Eunkwang who had wisely and successfully raised a pool to buy Hyuk some new video games amongst the feeders so that they didn't all get him some crap small gifts. (From his own family experience this got you much better gifts.) Most of the feeders didn't feel invested in naming their new mascot and Eunkwang graciously played along. This saved Wonshik from overindulgent embarrassment and Taekwoon from feeling pressured. 

With all gifts now unveiled it was now Hakyeon's time to shine. "Hyuk, get that one. That last one is from me." Hakyeon pointed to a heavily decorated box, giddy with anticipation. The boy demolished the wrapping paper thinking that, with how loaded Hakyeon was, he probably got him something really cool. Instead he pulled out a pair of trendy combat boots. " Shoes!" He said trying to fake enthusiasm to spare Hakyeon's feelings. 

"Combat boots, just what every eight year old wants. At least that has been the case during wars in this last century." Jaehwan said with a heavy sarcastic tone and an unimpressed glare. Wonshik leaned in and admonished Hakyeon for not being with the times and not catering to a kid. "Are you really that out of touch?" He hissed. "That's the best you could come up with? Seriously? You and I seem to be on very opposite spectrums here." The comments just bounced off of the leader and he gave the other a knowing grin "Just wait" he whispered back. 

"Hakyeon, we might need to go back to the store and swap these out. These are kinda too big." Hyuk said. He stood up and shook his foot to rattle the boot off. Hyuk couldn't believe that the ancient vampire had somehow managed such an oversight as to get him shoes meant for adults. He was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but it was still insulting either way. 

"Ten years and they won't be." He smirked hoping Hyuk would realize what he was saying. Hyuk looked down at his feet thinking and Hakyeon watched the wheels turning. But it was more to do with how much trouble he would get in if he threw the boots at Hakyeon for being insensitive. A boot collided with Hakyeon square in the chest. He grunted with the impact but was in time to knock the next one out of the way. Hyuk had advanced behind each distraction and now stood on his tip toes in front of the older vampire trying to swat at his face. "Hakyeon! you asshole! Why are you acting like you know anything! You don't! Don't tease me about the growing up thing. You are so mean!" Hyuk raged. Instinctually, the adult tripped the boy and sat on him until he stopped fighting. Everyone else in the room sat so still that it looked like time stopped for them. 

"Hyukkie, listen. Breath, listen. I know for sure. I found out. My brother said he knew some vampire kids in Africa that grew up. They started out just a bit older than you and he saw them on and off for several years. He said when they peaked out when they were in their 20's. You'll become an adult, so you need to keep the shoes. You'll eventually want them." Hyuk took gasps of air in while he processed what he heard.

"I will?" He said breathily. 

"You will." Hakyeon got off of Hyuk and pulled him into his lap for a hug. Their laughs slowly built up in volume and emanated joy and relief. The rest of the room reacted in much the same manner. "Hakyeon, I like my present. Yours is my favorite." Hyuk whispered, nestling into the embrace. 

"I'm happy with earning a hug. You should pick your second favorite to give the prize to or else the dog's name will be Butt." Hakyeon whispered back. 

"The boots look cool too. They're my second favorite. Then it's Taekwoon's." He said with hushed mischievousness.

"If it makes you feel better I got some you can wear now too." 

"You're a dork." The child said fondly. Later, in the late hours of the morning Hyuk pushed a chair up to the shelf Taekwoon had some decorations on and rearranged it so the revered boots could sit in the middle. He was just as much of a dork.

. . .

And so the tiny puppy's name became Butt.

. . .


	25. Lineage

After much deliberation Taekwoon pushed the call button.

"Hi Taekwoon honey! It's good to hear from you!"

"Hi Mom, you too. Um, I was calling because I have a question."

"Sure, oh, sorry hold on one sec. Your father want to know if you'll be coming to visit for Christmas and if you are if you could bring up some of the cookies that he likes."

"Actually that's why I'm calling. The short answer is yes and yes. I was wondering if I could bring someone along."

"Oh of course! I knew it! I knew it! Babe pay up he's got a girlfriend!" She gloated, holding the phone away so she wasn't shouting in her son's ear. 

"No Mom. I don't have a girlfriend."

"Boyfriend?"

"Mom stop. I'm single."

"Ah friend then."

"Yeah, kind of."

"Kind of?" he could tell she was cocking her head to the side in confusion just by the tone of her voice.

"Well there's something I need to tell you. It's the reason I quit the office job to work at Vixx. Do you remember the neighbor kid I used to tell you about?"

"Yup, wait, well which one?"

"Hyuk. Anyway back in October his parents were killed by vampires and he was turned into one. He's been staying with me. I've been keeping this pretty quiet because there's lots of vampire discrimination here and they used his thirst to kill his mom. The legal system doesn't give new vampires any breaks even though they can't control much in the beginning. They wouldn't care that he's a kid."

"Oh my God, poor baby! Is he ok?"

"Yeah, he's more or less ok now."

"Wow…What kind of sick…" She sniffled and fell silent.

"I know." It was quiet for a couple moments. 

"So, um, surprise. I'm a foster parent." Taekwoon said awkwardly. His mom puffed out a teary laugh.

"Of course he's welcome here. What kind of Christmas presents are on his wish list?"

. . .

Hyuk felt more secure the farther they got from their city but was still nervous about going to Taekwoon's family's house for the next few days. The full moon light made it very easy to watch the scenery go by as they drove further into rural areas. 

They made it to Taekwoon's childhood home around 1AM so it was technically now Christmas Eve. Despite the late hour for the family, Taekwoon's parents were still awake. They welcomed the travelers exuberantly and Mrs. Jung gushed over how cute Hyukkie was. She ushered them into the kitchen and started pulling out food for Taekwoon. Hyuk politely answered any questions directed to him but was also quietly glued to Taekwoon's side. "He's a little shy right now but by the end of the trip you won't be able to get him to shut up." Taekwoon informed them as he pulled up a chair at the kitchen table.

Mrs. Jung kept feeling the impulse to give Hyuk sweets but remembered his dietary restrictions at the last minute and put them in front of Taekwoon. It was hard to remember that they couldn't ask him normal questions about school or food or family. Instead they talked about things like what he had gotten from the Vixx staff for Christmas and what he thought of Vixx, favorite games, tv, books, how he liked living with Taekwoon. It was a little awkward at first but they all slowly relaxed. Mr. Jung kept nodding off after a while so they excused themselves and told the two they had free reign of the house.

Taekwoon followed while Hyuk wandered around the house to look at stuff. "You know you don't have to be so quiet, they are heavy sleepers. Something me and my sisters took advantage of all the time growing up." He said with a soft smile. "You've seen me and I'm pretty sure you take advantage too." He accused playfully and poked his charge's forehead. Hyuk looked away without answering, feeling slightly guilty and wandered off to look out the large window in the dining room. "It was just a joke. Hey, are you ok though? What are you thinking about?" Taekwoon asked gently as he pulled out a chair out from the table and nudged out one for Hyuk too. Taekwoon had been wondering how Hyuk would react to this kind of environment. It was very…domestic. Even if he didn't know Taekwoon's parents well it was still technically a visit to grandma and grandpa's house. He felt bad springing this on Hyuk. It felt like a therapy experiment to investigate the boy's emotional triggers.

"It's just…I don't know. I don't know what I'm feeling right now."

"But it's not happy." 

"I guess not. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Well you want to include me in your family but I just…feel…weird."

"That's ok. Feeling weird is perfectly ok." Hyuk nodded to show he understood. He absent mindedly swung his feet as he stared out at the picturesque suburb.

"It's only for a few days ok?"

"Kay"

He was so reluctant to start this up again for fear of making this a place Hyuk hated but it was already giving Hyuk a bad feeling anyway. "Does this place remind you of something? Does it make you think of something else?"

"I guess my grandpa and grandma on dad's side. We would go to their house sometimes on holidays."

"What were they like?"

"They gave me nice Christmas presents like my DS. I don't know, it was weird. We normally didn't stay for long cause they were really bossy and it annoyed my dad. Not like Hakyeon bossy. Like cranky Hongbin bossy."

"Judge-y?"

"Yeah. I think mom was scared of them. She always told me I had to behave really good while we were there. They seemed fine to me but she was always nervous."

"How about your other grandparents?"

"They were nice. Grandpa would spin me and play with me. But Grandma got sick so they can't travel and they live really far away. Sometimes Mom and Dad would fight about going to see them or live near them."

"Did your mom want to go live near them?"

"No, dad did. Mom said they would drive her nuts and that we weren't going anywhere. She said she hated her home town and never wanted to go back."

"Mm, that's pretty difficult to deal with." Taekwoon responded. Taekwoon felt he was being constricted with tension because Hyuk was finally talking about his parents without freaking out and he didn't want him to stop.

"So did you guys stay home for Christmas?"

"We'd go over on Christmas eve for dinner and then Mom and Dad wouldn't talk when we got home. Then on Christmas day they let me go play with Sungjae and they slept."

"So Christmas is just a so-so holiday then?"

"It's fun when I can play with Sungjae and this year with Vixx was really fun too. It was fun in school."

"Well I'll try to make this fun too ok? We've got an awesome sledding hill here. And my sisters are going to be here. And mom already made sure Santa knows you are here."

"Taekwoon, I figured out the whole Santa thing when I was five. Santa isn't real."

"Well don't tell Grandma Jung that." Taekwoon laughed. 

"Seriously! She still believes in Santa Claus?" Hyuk exclaimed incredulously.

"No I'm teasing." They shared a grin. 

. . .

Hyuk flinched when Mrs. Jung set a blanket on his shoulders. "Pretty outside huh?" She asked. Hyuk smiled and nodded from where he was resting on the window sill. She sat down in the dining room chair next to him to watch the snow falling and to take in the Christmas lights on the neighbor's house. "I haven't seen lights like this in real life, just on TV." He remarked softly.

"Would you like to come play a game with us? Everyone is in the living room getting ready to play Uno." Hyuk's expression fell a little at her offer. 

"If it's ok can I look at the lights a little longer? Since it's Christmas they might not do them later and everyone turns them off around 10."

"Sure, of course sweetheart." The two sat quietly for a while, Mrs. Jung trying to gage whether or not Hyuk wanted to be alone or not. She rubbed circles on his back and he scooted closer to her to lean on her leg which answered her unspoken question. 

"Were you ok earlier today? I heard you shout. I wanted to check on you in case Taekwoon didn't wake up but I didn't know if I would be letting in too much sunlight."

"I'm ok, I just had a bad dream. Being next to Taekwoon makes me feel better so I was able to go back to sleep."

"Do you get bad dreams a lot?"

"Yeah. It's…I'm getting really tired of having them."

"What are they about?" Hyuk looked up at her, his eyes starting to get a little bloodshot. For some reason it felt like it might be ok to tell her. She wouldn't be looking at him with worried eyes day after day since he would go home soon. And if he wanted to get rid of the nightmares he needed to talk about them. With a shaky breath he wrapped his arms her lower legs and nuzzled into her knee. 

"You won't tell Taekwoon, will you?" He asked meekly.

Making a snap decision, she lied. "I won't"

"Kay….it's always about my…my mom. And what….what I did…to her. It's like she's followed me from place to place, I see her in all kinds of places we had never gone to before. She…" He choked on a sob and Grandma Jung handed him a stack of napkins. 

"Where was she today?" She asked with a raspy soft voice.

"Lately it's been at the mall."

"Was there something at the mall that made you think of her?"

"It's a little weird. All the others are worried that I'm freaking out about me sensing my maker there and that does freak me out but where I see her is this place we walked past. It was one of those places where people take family pictures."

"What happens when you see her there?"

"Everyone else disappears and…she…she just stares at me. She seems mad at me. And there's always so much blood. I think she tries to say something but I can never hear it. I can't move at all and if I try to talk no sound comes out."

"What do you think she would say?" Hyuk just replied with an unhelpful melancholy shrug.

"What would you like her to say?" Grandma Jung inquired.

"I don't know." Hyuk said with a weak voice. 

"Are there things she would say or do that would make you feel better?"

"Yeah, I guess, but I don't think she's saying them in my dreams. She just seems so angry."

"I read somewhere that every person you see in your dreams is just an extension of you. I don't know if that's the case or not, but if that’s really it that would mean you are angry with yourself huh?...Are you?" Hyuk didn't answer. He just nuzzled down tighter into a smaller ball and sniffled. 

"Do you trust the opinion of a mother?"

"Huh?"

"As a mother I know that if a mom is a good person she will feel protective of her child. I would protect Taekwoon with my life. And if Taekwoonie was seeing that I would tell him that I wasn't mad at him. I was mad at the people who did that to him and I was following him to protect him from them. That's why I would be mad. I would be ready to fight those people."

"Like a ghost ninja?" He asked muffled by the ball like posture he was in. Grandma Jung chuckled. 

"Yes, like a ghost ninja. And you know what I think?"

"Hm?"

"I can tell your mom was a good person because she raised a very good kid." Hyuk nodded but he didn't feel like he deserved to be called a good kid nor did he feel protected in his dreams. No, Grandma Jung meant well but his mom was angry at him. He was angry with himself too. 

"Thanks Grandma Jung." He said despite the disbelief. She had at least given him something to think about. He would need to ask the other vampires about ghosts later.

. . .


	26. Un-Decking the Halls

***It's over 3000! So here is some random fun stuff***

. . .

Wonshik had been excited to set up the window displays for them at the beginning of the evening. The construction had been easy for him. It was the figuring out how to break up video so each screen had a section. 

"Hakyeon, quit snooping!" He called over his shoulder. 

"Well if you didn't have that dumb fish video on loop I would still be out there helping you." Help was not the word Wonshik would use. "Besides I haven't been in here while they've been living here. I want to look around and see what they've done with the place."

"If you have to open it to look inside it's called snooping. I heard closet doors opening. Go find something else to do. Or go back to wo- never mind." Wonshik said wishing he could unsay his last suggestion.

"That's right, stop while you're ahead. I haven't forgotten your little 'something came up. I'm not going to work tonight.' stunt. Besides it's slow, Hani and Jae have it covered…I don't think I ever got around to asking, what you were doing anyway?"

"Taekwoon was upset with us for avoiding him and me for trying to force him to go to the party. I made it up to him by answering some questions about vampire stuff. And to keep him from asking you and Jaehwan questions that would cause you to be screaming angels I told him a bit about our pasts. But I wasn't feeling up to being social after that part so I stayed with him. Here, you have any ideas on how to do this? It's starting to piss me off."

"…Google might?" Wonshik rolled his eyes. Hakyeon paced around, humming and poking at things. With how fidgety he was Wonshik could tell that the elder itched to snoop more, especially now that Taekwoon apparently knew all of their 'secrets'. It was getting really distracting. 

"Oh, I know what you could do." Wonshik looked like he had come up with a reasonable task, there wasn't any evil smile or annoyance so Hakyeon was blindsided by his suggestion. "Go take down all of the Christmas decorations."

"WHAT?! NO WAY! Just a few more days. I'll do it on New Year's." The eldest protested. Wonshik leveled a dangerous glare at him. The youngest of the coven almost never got mad but he wasn't above throwing a hammer at the whiny boss. He would have if it wouldn't break something in the apartment. Hakyeon obstinately stood his ground. "No! It's only two days after, let me enjoy the holiday spirit a little longer you scrooge." 

"Do it now or I will chain you up, stuff you in the closet and then have all of staff take it down."

"Chain me up? Ooh Wonshik, how Kinky!" Hakyeon said, flashing a cheeky smile. He couldn't resist. Wonshik jumped to his feet and Hakyeon started running with a giggle. "If I have to do that it will hurt and there will be nothing sexually satisfying about it. Now go get all of the Christmas crap out of the lounge!" He called after him. 

Mimi meandered into Wonshik's line of sight and gave him an amused, smug look. "So Hakyeon IS the baby mama." 

"Unless you are good with tech stuff get lost." Wonshik said wearily. Taking it as a threat Mimi's eyes widened and she hurried after Hakyeon. 

. . .

***Originally I was going to do more with the white elephant part but it didn't really fit with the flow. Here is what I had since this was a short chapter. I went overboard. Anyway some people got lucky, some got their presents with forceful trading, and others just passively accepted their fate. I tried to use items that Vixx or that artist has been seen with before but some I added just because it seemed to fit.*** 

Feeders   
SeokJin a fairy princess wand thing  
Suho A hello kitty fanny pack  
Sunggyu A packet of ramen  
Hongbin Handcuffs  
Jinyoung Voodoo doll  
Jaebum Plastic toy hammer  
Taemin red dog collar  
Kai Fried chicken scented candle  
Jackson Black mc hammer pants  
Taekwoon cook book  
Minhyuk flower crowns  
Eunkwang a Greek cupid costume  
Jamie Disney's Frozen-in Norwegian  
Bomi Rudolf the red nose reindeer onesie  
Mimi shoes that looked like fish (the ones from battle trip)  
Sally a big bang cd case and a parody group big byung cd inside of it  
Nayoung a decorative paper fan  
Mina winnie the pooh puppets  
Hyeyeon A cactus  
Hana a maroon sunhat with the largest and floppiest brim ever  
Hani a coffee rewards card that just needed two more stamps for a free coffee  
Youngji a jellyfish hat  
Sojin Black lipstick

Vampires   
Hakyeon azalea hair clips  
Wonshik fake tattoos  
Jaehwan Sheets of googly eyes  
Ryeowook Giraffe scarf/hat combo  
Xiumin A watch that goes backwards  
Eunji Leopard spotted leggings  
Hayoung a whale that lights up when you hit it  
Amber Space llama t-shirt  
Yewon a bottle of bubbles and bubble wand  
Minah perfume with red cool-aid in it  
Eric Nam Framed picture of Hakyeon making a derp face (which he promptly tried to steal back and kill his coven mates)  
Woohyun a rock  
Sungyeol a welding helmet (which all of the vampires wanted to borrow to get a peek at the sun)  
Dongwoo Anime body pillow case  
Haebin Mermaid tail socks  
sejeong Sesame street sleep masks  
Soyee alligator pop up game  
chanyeol wire head massager   
jooheon neck pillow with a hood that has teddy bear ears  
Sungwoon Sponge bob plushie that laughs when you squeezed it's hand  
Timoteo heat pack

***Side notes on vampires that are regulars at Vixx***

Chanyeol, Jooheon, Sungwoon, and Timoteo were made in the same batch as Wonshik. They were in San E's army. Most of the first batches in San E's army were artists that Ravi has worked with. 

Jaehwan and Hyo Shin started out on San E's side, but after Hyo Shin's death, Jaehwan was captured. He technically ended the war on Hakyeon's side, but in reality he was trusted as a neutral party by both armies. He became the mediator overseeing the truce negotiations. 

Members of Eun Young's army that regularly visit Vixx are Xiumin, Eunji, Hayoung, Amber, Minah, Eric Nam and Woohyun.

Dongwoo and Sungyeol are really young vampires that Woohyun took under his wing after they were turned because their maker wanted to kill them (More explanation of that in later chapters).

Haebin, Soyee and Sejeong were turned post war by Heechul who fought on Eun young's side (Though he isn't really a regular). 

I'm thinking I might make a prequel that goes more in depth on vampire history at some point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is going to go on a (hopefully) short hiatus. I got work I've been procrastinating on and I kinda need to pay the bills. I have some more written on the Vixx body swap story that I'll post every week. I'm hoping to have more of this story ready to post by the time I get all of the body swap chapters posted. Sorry to keep you guys waiting :'( I'll get back to it as soon as possible.


	27. No Solid Form

Hyuk did have fun at his new grandparent's house but a sense of melancholy still lingered. It wasn't that he was bored, just pensive. He was thinking about his nightmares more now, trying to pick them apart for meaning. It was a little hard to form any coherent, solid way to process it all and most the time he couldn't really identify what exactly it was that he was feeling. Taekwoon could sense Hyuk's mood but decided to leave him be for a while and let him process the conversation his mom had told him about. He needed time to process as well. He was still trying to wrap his mind around Hyuk's responses. He was just glad that Hyuk was no longer violently ignoring his problems. 

The distractions of the family opening presents, sledding, playing with Taekwoon's toddler nephew, games, and getting the juicy details on what Taekwoon was like as a kid usually only kept him occupied until midnight. The rest of the time he and Taekwoon would just quietly played around with their new gifts, enjoying the peaceful moments. It was a nice break from homeschooling and work. It was one of those visits where you didn't need a vacation from your vacation. 

It was nice to get home. As Hyuk burst through the door he was met with the sight of a giant Yi Soo swimming around outside of their window. Taekwoon nearly had a heart attack at the sight of the very real looking large creature. Hyuk marveled at it. Thoughts about where he wanted to "go" sprung through his head; the rain forest, Hogwarts, the beach, Mount Everest. Hyuk spotted Taekwoon's lap top and being a digital native started playing with the background effortlessly until they were taking in the view of mountains (presumably the Himalayas) with clouds softly drifting in the breeze. This was much more comfortable to look at, and even though it was Wonshik that put the footage up, Taekwoon still gave the oblivious fish some stink eye.

"On our next vacation can we go there?" Hyuk asked innocently. Even though their apartment was warm Taekwoon still shivered at the thought. 

"You should probably go with someone who is a little more durable than me."

"M'kay, I'll go ask the other vampires." He was out the door before Taekwoon could put up much of a protest. He decided to let it go and lug their stuff in and unpack for the both of them. He didn't get very far into it before he decided he wanted to look at something far less nerve wracking, opting for a forest scene instead. 

. . .

The first vampire he came across was in his office completely absorbed in his paper work. Hyuk startled him by plopping down in the chair across the desk and asked to be taken to the Himalayas.

Hakyeon snorted "No way. After my brothers conned me into bungee jumping I swore off heights for good. Too high for me." He sternly rejected the request, not even a little embarrassed to proclaim his fear of heights despite being highly indestructible. 

"What about Jaehwan or Wonshik?"

"Wonshik is scared of heights too and Jaehwan hates the cold. You'll have to find someone else to take you." Hyuk rolled his eyes but then remembered his other question. 

"Oh, also are ghosts real?"

"Is this random question day or did you plan on looking for ghosts while mountain climbing?" 

Hyuk just glared in response. Hakyeon sighed "Well, I haven't run into one but I still think they're a real thing."

"How old are you?" Hyuk asked. It was hard to interpret exactly what he was judging Hakyeon on but he definitely was. It stung a little but Hakyeon continued anyway.

"So it is random question day. I was born a little over 700 years ago ." Hyuk's jaw dropped. He shook his head to bring him back to the present. 

"You mean you've lived 700 years, never seen a ghost but still believe in them?"

"Don't judge me, I've known plenty of people who have seen them."

"Anyone I can talk to?" Hyuk asked skeptically.

Hakyeon said a long drawn out yes suddenly suspiciously of the questions. "What brought all this on? Have you seen a ghost?"

Hyuk paused looking at his shoes. "Maybe…I'm not sure." Hakyeon leaned forward and lightly grasped Hyuk's hands. "What happened Hyukkie?" He asked with concern. 

"Nothing happened. It's just about my nightmares." Hakyeon tensed but Hyuk was oblivious to it. He just sat quietly, trying to think of how to form a solid question but was failing. He rested his chin on his outstretched arms, lost in thought. 

Meanwhile Hakyeon's mind entered a state of panic. In all of this time this was the closest Hyuk had come to confiding in him about this. He wasn't ready to talk nightmares, probably never would be. This couldn't be happening. Vampires don't get sick but he was feeling nauseous. He started seeing blurred mental images and…

"So who do I ask about ghosts?" The child asked forlornly, pulling him back to the present.

Hakyeon released his held breath. He was off the hook, for now at least. "Let me think….Hayoung, Henry…oh, Chanyeol too. You'll have to ask them next time they come in to feed." Hyuk looked a little morose about having to wait.

"Kay, thanks Hakyeon." He said as he slipped his hands out of the other vampire's and shuffled out the door. 

After a moment Hakyeon brought his empty hands up to his face trying not to hyperventilate. He didn't want Hyuk to be miserable but he felt so ashamed. He couldn't think straight when people asked him about what haunted him. He felt so embarrassed about how undone he became under scrutiny. Seeing Hakyeon unravel wouldn't help Hyuk. Hakyeon felt lost. In a daze he retreated to the basement to diffuse his blind panic. 

An hour later Wonshik texted him to see where he went off to. The response that came back to him was 'Pay back's a bitch. Something came up. Can't come back to work tonight.' 

. . .

In his nightmares everything always blurred together. "I despise you, that won't change." He could never see Seokyeon's body, but he could feel himself crawling over it to retrieve his sword. Then followed the jarring drop through the floor as if the thin puddle of blood suddenly become infinitely deep. He was drowning in blood, blind and stifled by the sweltering liquid. For some reason though, he was still shivering as he tried to swim and find any kind of solid form to get some type of orientation. There never was any. Just endless clawing through the syrupy abyss, his eyes stinging from the exposure. Somehow he knew Seokyeon was in the abyss near him, but never knew if it would be a good thing to find him or not. He felt taunted by confusing whispers as he clawed for his brother or air, his left over human impulses made the illusion of asphyxiation an urgent threat.

And he had to live. Hakyeon couldn't stop trying to reach safety because Eun Young said he couldn't stop trying to live. It ripped him apart because he didn't want to obey. Living was his punishment and he would continue being punished for a vampire's eternity. He submitted though because it was his duty to never forgive himself, no matter who else thought he should. He wouldn't say that out loud or else Eun Young might find a way to force himself to do just that. 

He never should have rushed, his addiction addled mind had been too clouded and his pain too distracting. Seokyeon had been lying. He had to be, and if Hakyeon kicked the opium sooner he would have realized that. Hakyeon had long ago decided he needed to be the one who was in the wrong. There was no way Seokyeon could have hated him, not after centuries of loving protection and care. His worst fear had always been that Seokyeon would hatefully reject him. Hakyeon had caused his own hell. He had let himself murder his brother while Seokyeon was in a rare state of anger. There was no way he meant the words. Hakyeon felt like he should have been the one to die if his brother did mean it. He was stuck in perpetual limbo, Eun Young's powerful command playing tricks with his mind. The command never let him come to any conclusion. How could he explain such a hell? How could he face it?

. . .

Surprisingly is was Hongbin that came down to check on the flighty boss. 

"What are you doing down here?" Hakyeon demanded, startled at the feeder's presence that had interrupted his reverie. 

"Same could be said for you. I saw you come down here and Wonshik and Jaehwan were needed in the lounge so I volunteered to check on you."

"You volunteered?" Another unexpected revelation. "Or someone volunteered you? There's a difference."

"Geez, I'm not that callous. No, it's just that you looked pretty spooked so I was worried. Wonshik said to just come sit with you and not ask any questions unless you want to talk. He said you might not want to see him or Jae right now."

"Not really, nothing against them though. I'd prefer to be alone right now. Thanks for the thought."

"He said you'd say that. I've been given strict instructions to not leave you by yourself. So nice try, move over."

"If you try to get in bed with me I will bite you." The boss said petulantly.

Hongbin just shrugged. "mm, if you are hungry go ahead." He said while tugging blankets out from under Hakyeon who glowered and tugged back.

"Hakyeon, seriously, it's freezing down here. It's probably 15 degrees colder here than in the lounge." Hongbin glowered right back and after a brief stare down Hakyeon could see the feeder really was shivering. He acquiesced with grumbling about how much of a brat Hongbin was with his icy feet, shitty timing and irritating amount of stubbornness and sass. He did follow through with his threat and grouchily bit the feeder on the arm, though not enough to break the skin. 

"Offer still stands." Hongbin said with concern. "It might make you feel a little better." Hakyeon nodded tiredly and gestured for Hongbin to turn a little so that he had a more comfortable angle to feed from. He didn't even pop a smooch on the bite spot afterwards, just leaning back on the headboard despondently. It scared Hongbin a little to see him like that. Hakyeon noticed and just patted the feeders hand and said thank you. It didn't defuse his worry. He itched to ask questions but Wonshik had been insistent on that point. All he could really do was hold the vampire's hand and trace patters around his knuckles. The manager said that doing that would mean more to Hakyeon than talking. After what felt like an eternity of silence Hongbin was broken from his own reverie by Hakyeon shuddery breath. 

"I choked. Hyuk was asking me about ghosts and his nightmares came up and thank God he didn't go into it because I would have come undone. This…This is horrible of me to ask but I need to. Can you make sure he never asks me about nightmares or how to process his mother's death? I can't do it. I'm such a coward. I don't…I can't." He dissolved into mantras of I can't. Hongbin pulled him close and held the leader as he had his melt down. Hongbin was overwhelmed with alarm. With this kind of behavior it was prudent request. It would terrify Hyuk. It would make things look hopeless…

The human constricted him as tight as possible, as if it might squeeze the hysteria out of Hakyeon. He needed to do something. He couldn't let Hakyeon continue in such a state. With jerky movements he wrestled Hakyeon's face up to get eye contact. "Hakyeon! Hakyeon! Please! Please look at me. Please." Hongbin gnawed on his lip, feeling bad that it was the only thing he could think to do in the moment. The boss' cheeks were in Hongbin's hands and he quickly slammed one of his palms back down again, startlingly forceful. "Hakyeon, you aren't hopeless." 

Hakyeon looked dazed. At least his thought tornado had been interrupted. Hongbin certainly felt like he had been through cyclone force winds. "What do you mean by-"

"I'll take care of it. It's ok that you can't….that you can't right now. You don't have to feel bad, to feel…hopeless. It's ok. I understand."

"No you fucking don't. You don't understand. It's been over 400 years and I still haven't gotten my shit together. There is no hope of being able to talk about it later." Hakyeon roared, frustrated with Hongbin's naivety. He shoved Hongbin's hold away to so he could amble out of bed. 

In an almost inaudible volume, Hongbin timidly murmured "Please don't leave me." Hakyeon froze at the shattered sounding plea. Hongbin was slowly curling in on himself, his legs hugged to his chest and his face as hidden as possible. Hakyeon plunked down where he was, one foot hanging off the side of the mattress. A muffled "I'm sorry." leaked out of the balled up human. "You're right, I don't understand. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I need you around so don't leave ok?" the feeder muttered in bitter vulnerability.

Without emotion Hakyeon denied it. "No, you don't need me. All I did and will do is scare you. Go back to the others. I'm like an emotional ticking time bomb and my fuse got lit. I should go so I don't do any further damage."

"That’s not how time bombs work. Besides you are the only one who can un-scare me after all of this. Now un-damage me!" Hongbin demanded petulantly as his sullen face came fully back into view from behind crossed arms.

"That's not how grammar works…Besides you can't make a bomb 'un-damage' things." 

"Listen Grammar Nazi, I need a hug right now. That's how you are going to start un-damaging things. Besides, it would be stupid to let a metaphor to define your existence. That's step number two." Hakyeon incredulously glared at him. Hongbin glared back, just as challengingly, and held his arms open insistently. "Stop being a fucking dick. How often do I ask for hugs?...please, even if it's just for a minute." His words started out defiant and trailed down to his initial insecurity. Hakyeon rolled his eyes and re-tucked them in. 

"One more question. I'm not trying to be an ass, I just want to understand so I know where the line is. Do you not talk about it because you don't know how to or strictly because you don't want to? I'll shut up after this one and butt out."

"Sort of both." 

"mm…." Hakyeon could feel the pent up questions in Hongbin's seeming acceptance. He rubbed small circles on Hongbin's back hoping to make the feeling subside and for Hongbin to be lulled into peace. Hakyeon was embarrassed about his melt down and then subsequent outburst. Hongbin was just trying to show that he cared and that he wanted to be there for Hakyeon. What a tsundere little human. Why couldn't he, or any of the others, understand that he became dangerously volatile whenever the threat of his nightmares crept up.

"Next time I disappear, let me. I'll come back. I just do it to get my composure back. Save yourself some sanity. I'm not rational when I'm like this." Hakyeon mumbled as he nuzzled his forehead to Hongbin's.

"Promise you'll always come back?" It slipped out of Hongbin's mouth before he could reel in such a childish question.

"I don't want to make any promises. One time it took twenty years. That might be too long for you." 

"So then you just lied to me so that I wouldn't burden you?" Hakyeon wasn't sure how to respond so he didn't. 

"Then I won't promise to leave you alone."

"Wonshik and Jaehwan have been trying to for centuries."

"I have the added advantage that I can hunt you down both night and day though. Being human has it's perks."

"Hongbin, stop. You will get hurt trying to deal with me when I'm like that. I was mean just now, remember?"

"You weren't that bad. You stopped when I asked you to take care of me. Your motherly instincts kicked in. I got you figured out."

Hakyeon sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere and wanted to just be done talking. "Just…remember to do your homework assignment."

"Yes, Mother." If it would help Hakyeon feel more grounded Hongbin had no problem with stepping into the role of a clingy child. He definitely felt scrubbed emotionally raw like a child clinging to a parent that had gone manic. Feeling warm and comfortable he drifted off with the thought lingering, in all ways please stay with us…with me. 

For as long as Hongbin had been working at Vixx the shtick was that Hakyeon was the clingy parent and Hongbin the embarrassed child trying to get distance. It felt like Hakyeon was rapidly becoming very mentally distant though.

. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter because it just feels so heavy. It's hard writing a manic Hakyeon :( It strays pretty far away from the kind of image he has in real life. I'm taking a lot of creative license with that aspect. 
> 
> I wanted more Hongbin interactions so I kind threw him into the thick of things. He's the hardest to keep in character but the most fun (He's a great wild card). Still that would be an emotionally difficult situation for anyone to navigate. This sucked to write.... :P


	28. Hurt

"Where is Hakyeon? I haven't seen him since I went to go check on him the other night." Hongbin asked Jaehwan while getting weighed in.

Jaehwan sighed wearily. "He said he wants to take off a couple days and rest. He hasn't left his room at all. I know Wonshik stressed not to ask questions, but did he tell you anything?"

"Actually I've been meaning to talk to you about that. He made me promise to make sure Hyuk didn't ask him about nightmares or how to process his parent's death. He then dissolved into hysterics about how he couldn't handle it if he did ask. I have no idea how to keep Hyuk away from asking Hakyeon about that stuff. It sucked. I knew he was crazy, but that was not the kind of crazy I was expecting." Hongbin ranted dejectedly.

"He what?"

"Huh?"

"He made you promise to keep Hyuk from asking him questions?"

"Yeah, I mean he had a huge break down so I have to. I'll need your guy's help I think. All I know is that I don't want Hyuk to face that tornado."

Jaehwan sat back in his seat in pensive annoyance. "True. I'm sorry about all of that. I should have had you or Hani or Jin jump in. You guys know the basics."

"Don't worry about it. Just pay for my therapy sessions." Hongbin said with a disheartened smile. 

"I know a guy who probably knows a guy. Let me find his phone number." Jaehwan said, digging into his cell.

"I was kidding."

"Oh…well if you ever do want therapy, I'll help….Don't tell the others, but you're my favorite." Jaehwan switched tones with a wink.

"Hani is your favorite."

"…nah, bros before hoes dude." Jaehwan said awkwardly at being called out.

Hongbin rolled his eyes. "Ok, I'll be your platonic favorite feeder and Hani can be the girl-you're-not-so-secretly-crushing-on favorite feeder."

"Fair enough. And of course it's obvious. It's called flirting monk boy. You should try it sometime. And who says it's just crushing?" Jaehwan retorted with suggestively raised eyebrows. 

"Please keep those details to yourself. I don't want to be involved in the cause of your murder." Hongbin snatched the bill and bailed, leaving Jaehwan cackling. 

. . .

When Jaehwan conferred with Wonshik after closing up for the day, Wonshik was pissed. Jaehwan could hear them fighting in Hakyeon's room, but wisely decided to listen safety outside the door.

Hakyeon was angry about their interference and for not giving him privacy. He started "I don't need a fucking babysitter, you asshole!" before Wonshik could address the other issue.

"No, you don't. You need someone who cares. I love you and I want to help you, but I'm tired of being shut out and kept in the dark. I never knew details and never asked for them, but I won't be able to do that this time. But I don't want you to be alone either. It's not a healthy way to deal with things."

"Are you shitting me? I don't want anyone's help. Its better if I'm alone. And you shouldn’t have sent Hongbin. What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I sent him because I thought it might help to have a fresh face that wasn't tangled up in your history. You don't want me or Jae around, fine, but you don't get to be alone! I won't let you! I'm giving you a landline back to society because you don't get to just run away this time. You have obligations and we need you. Vixx feels empty without you. I hate it when you aren't there. I miss you and it's only been a few days!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake shut up about that emotional bullshit. I know I have obligations. The sooner you leave me the fuck alone the sooner I can get a handle on my problems and come back. Fuck you, get out!"

"You know, in the past you used to feel really bad if you snapped at someone because of how the anxiety and mood swings affected you, but this time it seems like you don't care if you do. Shoving your issues back in a box isn't going to work. They are at the surface, so deal with them now, because if you don't you are going to hurt the people that love you."

"Get the fuck out! If you consider guilt tripping love, your love is worthless and cruel! I won't think twice about hating you for it!"

"You just proved my point. I'm not mentally strong enough for this. You know exactly what to say to hurt me."

"I'm not asking you to take my shit. In fact I'm asking you to leave me alone so you don't have to. I don't know why I even bother talking if you won't listen, you dumb fuck."

"You never talked about it in the last four hundred years, so what was there to listen to?! You're just a stubborn hypocrite. I don't know why I bother. Way to make me feel like I've been worthless to you this whole time, asshole! You seriously don't get it! You mean the world to me, but I don't mean anything to you! Sorry to waste your last four hundred years."

Wonshik slammed the door behind himself as he stormed out. He was frazzled and miserable looking. Jaehwan cradled Wonshik's face in his hands. "Hey, hey Shikkie, don't worry. He'll come to his senses and apologize. Don't forget me either. You mean the world to me. Your worth doesn't have anything to do with him. That's not something he has any say on. He'll come back to us in one piece and make it up to us. He always does." Wonshik nodded and sniffled, trying to reel in his emotions unsuccessfully. He tried to thank Jaehwan for trying to reassure him, but it just came out as an incoherent sob.

. . .

After the jarring fight Jaehwan wasn't sure that Wonshik should join the conversation, but the younger vampire insisted he'd be fine. So the two agreed to help Hongbin, and the charge and guardian were summoned.

"Why is everyone looking at us?" Hyuk asked in worry.

"Why does this feel like an intervention of some kind?" Taekwoon added as he shut the door to Hongbin's apartment and took in the sight of Wonshik, Jaehwan and Hongbin circled around his kitchen island. 

"It's not….I wish it was and we could just- but it's not." Jaehwan huffed a sorrowful scoff. "It's not you guys, you didn't do anything wrong." He rushed to clarify.

"Then what is it?" Hyuk asked as he hopped up on the counter and grumpily waited for an explanation. He hated being left out because of 'grown up talk'.

"It's Hakyeon. He's a mental sack of sh-" Wonshik started but Hongbin cut him off. 

"He is having some mental health issues. He requested that I help him with something and so we need to talk."

"Let me guess his little disappearing act has to do with his brother issues." Taekwoon said stonily. 

"Brother issues?" Hyuk asked with a cocked head.

Hongbin sighed. "Yeah…I don't know how to do this…"

"Is he fighting with Ryeowook and what's his face?" Hyuk guessed.

"No, he had…another brother and something really bad happened a long time ago. And he's never been the same since. The stuff that happened to you is digging up some bad memories for him." Taekwoon explained. 

"Well, that was easier than I though." Jaehwan said. 

"Basically, feel free to talk to any of us about anything, just don't ask Hakyeon or else he'll have a mental break down." Hongbin said. Hyuk absorbed the information and missed the looks of bitterness circling around the island. 

"Come on Hyuk, let's go back home and go to bed. That's all it was." Taekwoon said trying to keep anger out of his voice. He wanted to punch Hakyeon for…well…something. He didn't really know what he was mad about. Well, no, it was that Hyuk was ready to start trying to chip away at making sense of his situation and Hakyeon might just scare him away from that. And that would leave Hyuk just as emotionally crippled as the Vixx boss.

"But now I want to know what happened." Hyuk complained. The adults all looked at each other in surprised concern and uncertainty. Hyuk observed this and it looked like his chances were slim, but he tried anyway. "Rock, paper, scissors, go." He threw scissors to egg them on. 

"I call not it." Hongbin said wearily and rubbed his face. "I already asked Hyuk to go easy on Hakyeon because his brain will torture him."

"You didn't say it that way, but now that you did I get it." Hyuk said in what was meant to be a reassuring way. "I get that way sometimes too. No problem. As long as someone tells me the story!" Hyuk followed up, gleeful to manipulate what he wanted out of them. 

"I think we should send him to down there and find out first hand if he's going to be like that." Taekwoon said dryly. 

"Nope, no, no. Bad idea. I've heard you guys talk about the night of the screaming angel. It's like that but the scarier adult version." Hongbin shut down that line of thinking.

"He deserves it." Wonshik mumbled. "Hakyeon, I mean." Jaehwan ruffled Wonshik's hair and rubbed the back of his neck. He was trying to have thick skin, but he was still hurt by Hakyeon's severe outburst. Jaehwan sighed heavily. "Ok, I'll do it. I'll tell you the story. I mean I was there for most of it. Let's go get comfy. Hyuk have you heard of the great vampire war?"

"No. Was it like world war I and II?"

"Kinda, but way before then." Wonshik was conflicted about rehashing it all, but Jaehwan was the best with stories, even if this was about to get overly drawn out, exaggerated and over dramatized. Jaehwan was kind of a go big or go home type. 

"If this takes til noon I'm murdering you." Taekwoon stated having worked all night. His interest was piqued but his mood may not hold up. "Same" grumbled Hongbin. Hyuk looked like an excited puppy as he settled between the two humans on the couch.

"I'll start at Hakyeon's turning. In the five decades proceeding the fall of the Mongol Empire lived-"

"What's the Mongol Empire?" Hyuk asked

"Ugh, go get paper and pen so you can jot down all the stuff you've never heard of." Jaehwan sighed over being interrupted. 

. . .

"In the five decades proceeding the fall of the Mongol Empire lived a family of candle makers. There was a set of brothers who were very close. The older was calm and caring and steadfast. The younger was confident, affectionate and thoughtful.

Don't look at me in that tone of voice, those were not my words. Eun Young insists on those descriptions.

So as I was SAYING- Every night the candle shop owners lit hundreds of candles to display the skillfully made works. It's said that it was a beautiful spectacle that had enamored the capital city. But there was the daughter of a nobleman who was more enamored with the youngest brother that worked at the shop at night. She was determined to have him, but he did not return her affections. He had noticed something was off about her, something that scared him. She couldn't visit the market during daylight hours, her eyes too sensitive. She had sharp teeth like that of a wolf that no one commented on. It was said that her beauty never changing and many were confused about her age. 

The older brother realized as well, but he saw past such things and fell in love with her as a person. The noble was fond of him as well, but only as a friend, unwaiveringly determined to have the younger brother as her lover. She trapped the young candle maker and turned the younger brother into the same type of creature she was so that she could keep him by her side for forever more-"

"Vampire." Hyuk whispered.

"Yup, concerned for his brother's safety the older brother broke into the palace to find him. It was there that the nobleman's wife revealed that the girl was not in fact their daughter. She and her husband were just servants to the vampire girl who had weaved her way through noble families for several generations, long before the Mongol Empire was formed.

Again, yes we will teach you about the Mongol Empire after this.

Now, the older brother begged to see his younger brother. The younger was devastated to be confined to the dark and insatiably hungry. The elder did all he could to console him and sooth his tears away. Upon seeing this the older brother asked the vampire what could be done to cure them. 'Nothing' she said. 'Nothing is wrong with us. We will live forever. Hakyeon just needed time to accept it.'

Emboldened by impulse the brother asked if he could be turned to whatever they were so that forever he could protect them both. Seokyeon would never see Eun Young as a monster and wanted to always be by the side of his loyal younger brother. She agreed. She tried to stress that he would only ever be her guard, though they were friends. He was to help his brother weather the difficulties of being a new born vampire even though Seokyeon himself would be fresh as well. And this was how-"

"This sounds different than how Hakyeon told it to us." Wonshik interrupted. 

"Oh, yeah, no, it's Eun Young's version. Hers is more kid friendly. For being such a voracious cougar she is very conservative in how she talks. She leaves out a lot of the more graphic details."

"Wait, I thought this Eun Young lady was a vampire. If she's a cougar monster thing how did Hakyeon end up as a vampire?"

"Heh heh, no, cougar is another name for an older lady who likes men who are much younger. She is Hakyeon's maker and they are both vampires" Hongbin explained. 

"Ohhh" Hyuk said with dim understanding. Taekwoon face palmed. If this opened up THE talk Hongbin was dead meat. He should probably figure out how to even handle that, because it was inevitable and he was the one that would get stuck with such a parental duty. 

Jaehwan was ready to continue. "In fact she's one of the oldest vampires I know, come to think of it. So anyway, now they're all vampires. Eun Young tells them that she is the queen of something called the night kingdom. It's a kingdom that secretly rules over all of the others. It's run by vampires and some people believe it's still running even to this day. It's one of the many reasons why humans are scared of vampires. 

She was using this time period to marry back into a human royal family for a more direct rule. The brothers were to pose as her servants. It wasn't long until Hakyeon was pretty much running things for her. He was a really powerful prince in the night kingdom since he's bossy and kinda smart. He did a good job. They went on like this for a long time and it worked for them. As long as Seokyeon was near to be Eun Young's friend she was a fair and humane ruler, and she wouldn't do bad things to Hakyeon. But there were times when they had to be in different places to take care of business and she would make Hakyeon do bad things with her. Seokyeon would always scold Hakyeon when he got back and tell him Eun Young would only act like a monster if he treated her like one. It always made him sad when this happened. It wasn't fair of him to be mad at Hakyeon since Eun Young was the one making the decisions, but he believed Hakyeon could have done better. It always pained Hakyeon to disappoint his brother. Everything he did, he did it for his brother's approval and praise. No one else's mattered. Still he was too scared to be nice to her thinking that she would interpret it as returned feelings. It was only a matter of time before there was conflict because of Eun Young's meddling. The final straw was the war.

The night kingdom had an enemy they didn't know about. One of their old night kingdom nobles had turned a commoner against his will and the noble had died recently. Now free this commoner was really strong and built an army to destroy the night kingdom for what it did to him."

"Was this San E?" Taekwoon asked, getting into the story despite himself.

"Yes, this is the part where Wonshikkie gets turned. Take it away Shikkie." Jaehwan was about to pass his role on, but Hyuk interrupted. 

"Wait, what about you? Were you around? Because I've heard you say that Wonshik is the youngest."

Wonshik smirked. "Nice observation, ah ah, my turn. You told me to take it away." Wonshik teased Jaehwan who was about to backtrack. "Basically he wasn't doing anything important up until then. He is older, but he doesn't come up in the story until a little later."

"Excuse you! I was becoming an expert doctor and I fixed your near dead ass up many, many times so you should be grateful that I had been doing important medical studies before I met you." Jaehwan turned to Hyuk. "I was wiping out plagues and finding new medicines. I was writing some of the first medical text books. I was traveling all over Asia on the silk roads. I'll teach you all about that stuff too. Put that on your list, yeah, silk road. That one is a big one. Ok, now we may continue on your unimportant humble farmer beginnings." Jaehwan returned the story to Wonshik and threw in a lazy mock bow.

"Bratty old man. Ok, so this was about four hundred, something years ago. Around that time there were lots of human wars happening. All of Asia was basically on fire, I mean not literally, but- lots of war and people loosing homes, being killed, famine and instability. I lived on the upper portion of a valley and an army was closing in, one that had already killed many of the downriver folk. San E's men came through one night and put on a show. They could do amazing things and San E said that he could make us like those soldiers and we could save our valley from the invaders. So I signed up. I wanted to protect my family. I didn't realize what any of it meant. I was stronger and faster than any other vampire. But I was hungrier. Me and my fellow soldiers (lots more had been turned by that time) were brought to many human battles and swept through like a plague. No one was left standing unless vampires from the night kingdom were there to defend their allies. They had human allies, human enemies and vampires enemies. The war was very hard on them. They probably lost half of their vampires."

"The official record says a little more than half. Really it was a split between cocky old geezers who had an over inflated sense of self-worth and the others that fought hard and sacrificed themselves for others." Jaehwan confirmed.

"On our side whenever we lost soldiers we just made new ones from those that would volunteer. They were just as stupid as I was. We had some old vampires too. Jaehwan's maker was a friend of San E's and came to help. He dragged along this whiny derp who thought we were the most uncultured brutes he had ever met. Those were your exact words, do give me that look! I was the only reason you weren't killed right then and there. So be grateful I was doing important team leading before I met you." Wonshik stuck out his tongue at Jaehwan who returned the gesture.

"I only meant the new guys. You know you loved me. You wanted to be with me always." Jaehwan flirted. 

Wonshik rolled his eyes, but grinned. "Not that much. When you got yourself captured I didn't come save you."

"Only because you didn't know where to look."

"It wasn't too hard to figure out they took you back to the old palace. Besides it worked out for the best in the end. You came up with the idea that ended the war." Wonshik pretended to be aloof when Jaehwan pretended to be emotionally distraught by his words.

"What happened next?" Hongbin asked. The two humans looked like they had the same childlike fascination as Hyuk.

Jaehwan took back over without thinking though Wonshik didn't really mind. "Eun Young had commanded Hakyeon to defend the night kingdom. He was desperate for peace because she was abusing him and getting peace would be the only way he could get away from her. When I came up with the idea he jumped on it, by this time they were out of options and facing slaughter. The solution was to marry Eun Young to San E. They would be co-rulers sort of. San E accepted the terms surprisingly. It turned out he was trying to destroy the night kingdom because he wanted to destroy vampires, especially the ones that exploited humans. He settled for regulating them and making sure that there would be very few vampires made. His new goal was to make sure that vampires eventually died out. It was a really backwards way to go about it, but he when he talked about it a lot of factors made sense. I know it's weird. As soon as the treaty was signed Hakyeon ran away from the kingdom for twenty years."

"Oh, that's what he meant…" Hongbin trailed off. Jaehwan stared at him wanting an explanation for the comment, but Hyuk prodded him on. It would have to wait. 

"San E made good on his promises in the treaty. He killed off half of his army, keeping only the ones that proved themselves. He made a new rule that only three new vampires could be made every fifty years, he didn't want to upset those had taken human lovers. They had to fully know what they were getting into and abide by the vampire laws. Unauthorized and unwilling turnings would result in the makers execution. He actually turned out to be a good king. 

But there was one thing that went wrong, and his people demanded punishment for the one that had endangered the formation of the treaty. All of the vampires felt wronged and insulted that such a disrespectful thing had happened. Right after the treaty had been signed, valuable things were stolen from San E and Eun Young. Because Hakyeon had disappeared at the same time it was assumed that he did it. Hakyeon was unaware of the accusations and after desperately missing Seokyeon for twenty years, he decided to come home. Without investigation San E had Hakyeon's hand cut off for theft. At first I thought that his hand would be permanently amputated and tried to get Hakyeon off of his pain medication that he had become addicted to. It was around that time that Eun Young was forced to make Seokyeon talk about what he knew of the theft. Things weren't adding up and Seokyeon had been acting strangely. 

It turned out that he had ordered his servant to do something that would punish Hakyeon for how he had treated Eun Young. He was angry that the treaty had been done in such a way that Eun Young was permanently married off to someone else even though she and San E really don't treat it like a marriage. She had been married many times before, but it was to humans that she would be widowed from eventually. Seokyeon had never given up that maybe someday she might return his feelings and now he could never be with her. He blamed Hakyeon. 

Hakyeon tried to tell him that he had been desperate to get away from the abuse and how it was destroying his mind. Eun Young even confessed that she had abused Hakyeon. She emphasized that she had chosen to go through with the treaty because it really was the only way to end the carnage. She insisted that Seokyeon couldn't hold Hakyeon responsible for what she did. She told me once she did bad stuff because it was the only way she felt in control when her kingdom was on the verge of ruin. It doesn't justify it and I won't forgive her for being an abusive-, but she regrets all that she had done and hasn't commanded him to do anything ever since.

Back then despite everything his brother did Hakyeon only wanted to reconcile with him. He was devastated when his brother told him he despised him. Sensing that Hakyeon was in danger, his younger coven brother Kibum (that 'what's his face' guy), insisted that Hakyeon take action. Kibum bested Seokyeon in battle and gave Hakyeon his sword for the killing blow. Seokyeon said he would never stop hating Hakyeon and Hakyeon finished it. San E had told him that it was a more merciful death than the king would have given him since Seokyeon had been really treasonous."

It was shortly after that, that I realized Hakyeon's hand was growing back. It was painful because there were nerves that were wrapped around the slowly growing bones. It took four years to fully heal and because of the nerves repeatedly snapping it felt like his hand was being broken every day. I had him on pain meds that pretty much knocked him out the whole time. I think because he missed four years of his life right after his brother died he never got to mourn or process what happened. That's why he's all…confused? I guess? I'm speculating, but I think Hakyeon blames himself."

"Shit, it's easy to forget sometimes." Wonshik mumbled. He was losing his composure and excused himself for the day. 

"So…he's remembering all of this because I asked him about ghosts?"

Jaehwan cocked his head to the side "Huh? I was told nightmares." Jaehwan pouted. 

"Well, kinda yeah. I……I don't want to talk about it yet. I won't ask him about nightmares and this stuff though. Promise!" Hyuk hastily reassured them. They all secretly wished he would though. 

. . .


	29. Back To It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These last couple of chapters have felt kinda choppy -_- Sorry about the weird pacing.

"How are you so calm right now? This isn't like you." Wonshik asked Jaehwan. The older vampire was cuddling the younger and cleaning up his tears while Butt chewed on a dog toy in between their feet. He knew that Wonshik would be sitting motionless in his room stewing on painful thoughts and he'd feel better talking. He had always been the most expressive one of their coven.

"I just don't feel like adding to the chaos I guess. I hate the way he spoke to you. I'm angry about that, but I'd rather concentrate on making you feel better." Jaehwan told him with a coaxing smile as he finished cleaning up Wonshik's tears and began stroking his hair. "Don't let him make you feel bad. You were right about everything and he'll feel like super stupid embarrassed. How long has it been? He's had it bottled up since the 1800's, right? The longer the time span the bigger the fall out, I guess. Still I want him to leave us alone right now." Jaehwan said as he tenderly kissed Wonshik on the forehead. The last part was more of a warning for the coven member who was just about to knock on Wonshik's door.

"He was just as bad as them." Wonshik said in a rattled breath. He was too upset to sense the third one's presence. Jaehwan wiped at the other vampire's eyes a little more.

"As who?"

"His family. He went too far. This feels abusive. And what does that make us if we forgive him and keep letting him do this?...Delusional? They say not to stick around because abuse will just keep happening. Are we like those brain washed chicks who never blame the guy for beating the shit out of them? 'Oh, I didn't add enough salt to the meal, he didn't mean to'." Wonshik grumbled and imitated. 

"If you're worried about psychological assaults becoming a regular thing we can leave." Jaehwan said with a smirk and then started singing a bit of 'I can show you the world' from the Aladdin movie. 

"No, I don't really want to. I don't like having to start over and I don't really want a new job. I like my routine."

"We don't actually need to work. We have enough that we could live on interest quite comfortably."

"I want to stay. He leaves. Maybe he should take a traveling stint and cool down, but when he's done he'll want to come back and we'll still have to figure shit out…." After some silence Wonshik looked like he was struggling with a question. "Wouldn't you…end up hating him for becoming abusive?"

"hm, good question…." It looked like an upsetting question, not a good one.

"I mean you've already said you'll never forgive the master you grew up with or most of Hakyeon's family…I don't know….I'll follow whatever you think is best."

"It's not as black and white this time….we've known him for forever and this is probably first time he's lost so much control that he got so verbally abusive. I'm not justifying it, but it's also not one of his behavioral patterns. 

"So what do we do?...I love him, but the whole thing is becoming seriously messed up. Just because he got abused by Seokyeon and Eun Young doesn't mean he can turn around and do the same."

"Counseling….I don't want to wait another fifty years just to start getting slapped because I can't navigate that mine field. I mean psychology is a thing now. He doesn't have to figure it out on his own, not like back in the 1800's. That's the only way he's I'll let him stick around I think."

"What if he doesn't go along with it?"

"He has to. I'm not putting up with anymore of his bullshit." Hakyeon could practically feel Jaehwan glaring holes through the door. "Hell, it was like he went from the family dog to a cornered feral mutt." 

"Very screaming angel." Wonshik said around a yawn.

"Very" Jaehwan agreed.

It sounded as if both were drifting off to sleep so he retreated to his room to brood. It reinforced the conclusion he came to about himself. He definitely was the feral dog that needed to be contained before he mauled someone. They weren't being delusional to be scared of him. Would therapy really tame him back down? Wonshik said Seokyeon was abusive….Hakyeon didn't want to think of himself as delusional. He wasn't in the same category as a beat up girlfriend. No, he and Seokyeon weren't that way.

. . .

"So?"

"So…"

"So, the terms were laid out pretty clear this morning." Jaehwan said dryly from where he was leaning on Hakyeon's door frame. 

"Jae, I'm not sure if-"

"You called Wonshik's concern for you bullshit and worthless, and you called him every curse word there is in this language, well…mostly every cuss word…not the point. The point is we have no choice but to give you some tough love. Go to counseling or go away completely. I'll even make it easy. I'll find the therapist and make an appointment for you. All you have to do is show up. Can you handle that or do I need to call up Yoongi for help on transferring ownership of all Vixx related things to solely me and Wonshik?"

"I can…I am sorry. I know that probably doesn't mean anything right now…but…." Hakyeon felt like his throat was constricting. 

In a softer tone Jaehwan reach out for him. "Hey, it does mean something. You just have to follow through. We just want you to get some closure so it doesn't happen again." Jaehwan said as he hugged his coven mate. "We don't want you to leave. We're a coven, we will work through this. Now, if you're up to it, go get ready for work. You need a shower, you look like you've been doing laps in a blood filled swimming pool." Hakyeon flinched at the last part. 

"Hey, easy, easy. What's wrong?" Jaehwan tried to calm him like an on edge animal.

"I…yeah…I really need a shower." Hakyeon tried to laugh it off. 

"If you aren't ready to go back to work you don't have to."

"Nah, no, I'm-I'm good. It's just that was kinda gory."

"Oh…oh, yeah, that was a gross analogy, sorry. I didn't mean it, like, you know, like all, um…genocidal."

"I know. Don't worry." Hakyeon said with a small smile. The shower took a while, since Hakyeon was hyperventilating a bit. When he came out Jaehwan told him to go wake up Wonshik.

"This seems like a bad idea. I don't think he would want to see me right now."

"Too bad. You have to work with each other. So slap a band aid on it until you can get into surgery."

"Another gory analogy." Hakyeon said with narrowed eyes. Jaehwan gave him a teasing smile and hurried upstairs. Hakyeon let out a shaky nervous breath as he entered the conked out vampire's room. 

"Shikkie, time to get up for work. Come on." Hakyeon called quietly as he rubbed his arm. Both Wonshik and Butt sat up groggily and upon realizing who it was Wonshik looked away moodily. 

"I…know. I screwed up really badly. I didn't mean any of that. You do mean the world to me and I'd rather die than hate you. You've help me in more ways than I can count. I love you. I am extremely sorry….but I don't want you to trust me to be good right now. I'll do the counseling. It won't mean anything until I do."

"Yeah, pretty much." Wonshik said as he petted Butt who had bumbled over to sniff at Hakyeon.

"….I….I know I'm not trustworthy right now, but….I don't scare you, do I?" The older vampire said as he scratched behind the puppies ears.

"psh, I can take you in a fight any day."

Hakyeon smirked sheepishly. "I would be stupid to try to get in a fist fight with you. But you know that's not what I meant."

Wonshik let out a shuddery breath. "I know and…I don't know. Just cry next time. It freaks me out when you get hostile."

"Next time? No, no next time. I don't want to do that to you ever again."

"Hakyeon, we're not perfect. I'm bound to say something you don't want to hear and vice versa. Just say you're scared and hurt. Use your inside voice. Butt hides under the bed when you and Jaehwan are too loud." Wonshik said somewhat patronizingly as he scooted out of bed. He flashed Hakyeon a smile and ruffled his hair before depositing the puppy into Hakyeon's arms. "Go take Butt for his evening walk. He'll need to go potty. Until you start therapy I get free slave labor out of you. Gotta keep you busy until then. And don't forget the poop scoop bags. They're rather strict about clean up around here, but don't worry, you don't have to do anything with yellow snow." Wonshik smirked and zombie-ed down the hall to take a shower. Hakyeon was mildly grossed out and happy that Wonshik would still speak to him. But it was scary too. 

. . .

Hakyeon was sheepish upon returning to work. He was expecting more back lash for his absence, especially if there was gossip about the cause. However his friends had kept the break down to themselves. Hongbin followed him around like an underfoot puppy/guard dog, but Hakyeon actually found it to be comforting. Other than that it seemed as if nothing had changed, like he was just waking up from a bad dream. He kept expecting the other shoe to drop, but his employees were pleasant and asked if he had a good vacation. He wanted to shy away, feeling undeserving of the welcome, but his coven was right. Admin work had piled up while he was gone and he had payroll reporting that needed to be done. At least that gave him an excuse to stay hunkered down in his office. But now the one human he was scared of facing the most was asking for his attention.

"Hakyeon, look at me." Taekwoon coaxed. He was sitting on the opposite side of the desk from the vampire who was avoiding eye contact. "Hey, look. Don't start avoiding me again."

Hakyeon gave him a guilty half smile, half grimace, still not able to give him eye contact. "Sorry, I've just…just been dealing with some old issues lately and I'm not ready to talk about it."

"That seems to be going around a lot lately. That thing with Hyuk, I need to know about ghosts."

Hakyeon hummed a light laugh. "I don't know much. I told Hyuk which customers have seen them before though. Hayoung, Henry and Chanyeol. That's all I told him…I'm sorry I've asked so much out of y-"

"I know. I hate to do this, but I need to. I understand why you need Hyuk to be careful with you. But If Hyuk slips up and talks about stuff he isn't supposed to and you scare him away from dealing with what haunts him, I will end you. Seriously, don't mess with my kid. I may be human, but I will find a way to kick your ass."

Hakyeon looked like a scolded child. "I get you. I don't want that either. I'm sorry about all of this. I wish I-"

"I know…Hyuk understands though. I mean he can relate, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Thanks" Hakyeon whispered sadly.

They sat in awkward silence for a while before Taekwoon gave him a gentle smile. "When was the last time you fed? I bet that would cheer you up." Hakyeon nodded with a sheepish smile. He accidentally tickling Taekwoon when he steadied himself again the feeders body and his squirming invoked an attack of hugs. Once he got Taekwoon to sit still he bit in and finished with his customary kiss to make it all better. It was a huge weight off his shoulders to know that everyone was letting the matter die down a bit. 

. . . 

The two boys ran around the kids section of the library like spaztic hamsters. Hyuk would sometimes bring a book over but he and Sungjae were more interested in building forts with the bigger books and hiding from the librarian. "Taekwoon, I want this one!" Of course Hyuk would want to read captain underpants. 

"Add it to the stack." He relented. Taekwoon's stack consisted of things like 'Home Schooling For Dummies' and curriculum plans for third graders. He needed some point of orientation, and promising to teach Hyuk about the Mongol empire had opened pandora's box on subjects. He thought it might help to see what the public schools were doing and keep Hyuk somewhat synced up to them. Now that school was back in session he could get started.

"Sungjae, come back here. Have you learned any of this stuff yet?" Taekwoon asked of the one that was still actually in school. 

"I don't know?" He so far he was not very helpful.

"Ok let's start over...what did you learn for math today?" 

"I don't know." 

"Add, subtract, multiply- any of these?" 

"uuuuuhhhh." 

"How about spelling?" 

"uuuuuhhhh"

"History? Social studies?" 

"Oh! we learned about maps, we got to go outside for that!" That was a good start. 

"Ok, how about science?" 

"We learned about frogs once, does that count?" 

"Sure. How about writing?" 

"I hate it. I don't remember." 

"You're lucky if he remembers anything beyond recess." Hyuk said rolling his eyes. 

"Hey!" 

"Really? Ok, what else do you remember about school today?" 

"Fine, Whatever." 

"If you wanted to know what we were learning we should have brought Namjoo. She actually pays attention. She's like our Hermione. I guess that makes you Ron and me Harry." Hyuk said pointing to his best friend. 

"No way! I want to be Harry!" He protested. 

"But…you have more in common with Ron. Bad grades, huge family, you eat a lot, and everything you own in a hand me down. I…I have more in common with Harry."

"LA LA LA, I can't hear you!" Sungjae stormed off with his fingers in his ears and curled up on a bean bag chair in the far corner and refused to talk to Hyuk no matter what kind of antics he tried to pull to say sorry. Taekwoon could guess what it was really about. He put Hyuk to work putting away the book fort they had made while Taekwoon went to talk to the pouting child.

"Hey bud." Taekwoon said gently. 

"I'm not Ron." Sungjae mumbled. "Ron's dumb."

"Nah, Ron's pretty cool. I'd rather be him than Harry. I think you're being mean to Ron to say he's dumb. There's more than one way to be smart. Grades aren't everything."

"Whatever." Sungjae said grumpily. 

"Come on, it would be more fun to be Ron anyway. He's surrounded by family and friends who love him. He's funny and caring and brave. He gets to have more fun. You have to admit being Harry Potter would suck."

"But he's the main character. He's cooler."

"He also always goes through more crappy things though. He's like a magnet for it." They were silent for a moment before Taekwoon decided to try again. "Does that kind of make things look a little different? Sure people pay more attention to Harry but it's not fun being him."

"I don't know. If that's true Hyuk definitely can't be Harry. I don't want any more crappy stuff happening to him, so he has to be Ron."

"How about this. No one is Harry Potter. You are Sungjae and Hyuk is Hyuk. You guys should be yourselves rather than trying to be characters."

"But Namjoo really is like Herminie."

"Nope, Namjoo is Namjoo. You can't make her be anyone else."

"Ok" Sungjae still looked a little down. He needed a pick-me-up.

"How about this? We get ice cream on the way back to Vixx. What do you think?" 

"Hyuk can't have any though."

"Exactly. It's special. Just for you." Taekwoon said with a knowing wink. By the time they left the ice cream shop all was forgiven and the boys were back to being spazzy trouble makers.

. . .


	30. Unnerving Images

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this ended up being a roller coast. Another one of those didn't quite fit with the flow chapters but I had too much fun making the middle section so I'm keeping it, damn it! 
> 
> Shakespearean speak is the shit

Hakyeon was nervous, but decided to say hi to Hyuk and try to smooth things over with him too. The mini vampire was sitting at the table in the employee room doing homework. Or was he? He was coloring. Hard to say.

"What are you drawing?" The older vampire asked. Hyuk startled and flipped the paper over. "Nothing!"

Hakyeon chuckled. "Well I like the colors you were using to make your nothing." Hakyeon smiled warmly and ruffled his hair. He probably shouldn't press his luck with Hyuk since he looked so startled. He turned to leave, but was called back. "Hakyeon, I'm sorry about making you feel bad. I feel bad like that too sometimes. I'll try to be more careful."

"It's ok Hyukkie. It's not your fault. I'm sorry too. I wish I was brave like you and I could talk about my feeling bad stuff."

"But you get scared, huh?"

"Yup."

"I'm not brave either though. I only talk about my feeling bad stuff because the others make me. I don't want to think about that stuff."

"Think of it this way though. If you don't think about it and talk about it you get really anxious and squirrelly and mean. I don't like myself when I'm like that. I'm going to try talking about it soon and I'm really scared." Hakyeon said with wavering pensiveness. "But I've been really mean because of the feeling bad stuff and it's not ok. It's a lot harder to deal with when you are 700 years old." Hyuk nodded, looking a bit down cast.

"I have a job for you if would be willing to help me."

"What is it?" Hyuk asked cocking his head to the side.

"Before my appointments I'll be really nervous and it would help if you give me hugs. It will make it easier for me to go."

"Seriously?" Hyuk ask in incredulous skepticism.

"Yes, you derp! Stop judging me! It will help a lot!"

"Fine, I guess." Hyuk said as he leaned against the older vampire's side. It was the closest he could get to a hug in this position.

"Thanks bud. I'll let you get back to coloring nothing." Hyuk stuck his tongue out at the adult who mirrored him before leaving. 

That was close. Hyuk flipped his page back over. He was drawing the content of his dreams. Not particularly skillfully but morbid none the less. He was going to need a new red crayon after this. He needed to find out if this was what a ghost looked like though and he had seen Chanyeol come into the lounge just a little while ago. Now was his chance. He figured it was good enough to get his point across and scampered down to the nook he was in. He waited until he was done drinking from Kai before carefully sneaking in.

"Hey Hyukkie. Are you being a ninja?" He asked amused with the child's serious 'I'm on a mission' face.

"No, I just have to be careful. I have a secret and I need to ask you something."

"Oh, ok? Shoot."

"Does this look like a ghost?"

"Eeuh, yes. Is that from a movie or something?" Chanyeol asked with a cringe.

"No, she's real."

"Oh, God. Please tell you didn't see that in person." Chanyeol said with startled concern.

"Well…kinda yeah. Hakyeon said you've seen a ghost before so I thought I would ask you what to do."

"Ughhhh, shit." He said under his break with uncertainty. "Well, me and my friend were traveling through Russia and stayed in a hotel that was a bit shady. We ran for it when the ghost woke us up and beat us up. We couldn't actually see a clear image though, not like this. It was more of angry aura. So if you see that run far, far away." He said with confused shrug.

"But I can't. I see her when I'm dreaming." Chanyeol rubbed his face feeling somewhat over whelmed. 

"And you haven't seen her when you're awake?" The mini vampire shook his head. "Sorry bud. I don't know then. I only saw the one and it was outside of my dreams. Have you tried google?"

"Yeah, but it was all a bunch of dream meaning stuff and I know she's real. It feels too real."

"Who is she?" Hyuk looked at him with wide eyes and then bolted back to the employee room. 

"What was that about?" Kai came into view a few seconds later. "He looked like he saw a ghost. Were you telling an eight year old ghost stories?"

"No! He was the one telling me one! He showed me this really creepy picture of this lady that was covered in blood and had a scary face and said he had seen her in his dreams." Kai looked puzzled then called Wonshik over to have Chanyeol repeat his summary. Wonshik thumped his head against the nook frame. "Fuck, sorry about all that. His mom died and he's been having bad dream about her ever since."

"That was his MOM!? What happened to her?" Chanyeol asked naively. 

"You're too much of a scared-y cat. His circumstances are horror film material." Wonshik teased. 

"Well fine loser, be that way." Chanyeol pouted.

"You REALLY want to know?" Kai taunted. 

"No, Kai, he can't handle it." Wonshik mockingly tried to warn him.

"Will you assholes just tell me?"

"Long story short, gangsters kidnapped him, turned him and because of stuff the gangsters did, his first feed ended up being his mom. Happy?" Kai said with a devilishly wide smile. Wonshik face palmed. "Wow, how tactful Kai."

Chanyeol protested over top of him. "No, God no! What the hell! I was having a good night until you guys started telling me all this scary crap. Now I'm going to have nightmares of that creepy drawing. It makes my ghost look like fucking Casper." Chanyeol belly-ached all the way up to the register and out the door. It made Wonshik really curious. The idea that Hyuk's mom might be a ghost was a new development to him. He got an idea and it called for Jaehwan's unique skill set.

"Jaehwan, my love! I direly beseech thine assistance. I hath a mission of most grave paramount. Thou art exaltant in bravery. Only thou could 'st embark to fenagle such a feat." Wonshik 'beseeched' as he twirled into the employee room, side eyeing the boy who was back to doing homework. It always buttered Jaehwan up to play his nonsensical language games. The doctor looked over from where he was weighing in Sally and sensing danger replied "Nay, good sir. I am no vessel of this courageous heart that thine seek 'eth. Most pitiful I am. I shan't venture to the store for you."

Sally snickered and took the bill from Jaehwan. "You two have been around each other for too long."

"Hold thine tongue lest I weep, fair maiden. Should I be so fortuitous I shalt become this rapturous beauty's Siamese twin. Thus innocently entwined as such we shalt be of one flesh, truer than in the way of carnal passion. Tragically, as is always of bedded manners, lovers do corporeally detach after-"

"Ok, no, stop. There are yonder children, Sir Pitiful." Sally protested with embarrassment.

"But I was on a roll." He complained gleefully. 

"Yeah, it went from funny to uncomfortable really quick."

"Agreed, I'm really not sure I want to know where you were going with that." Wonshik chimed in.

"I was just basically saying I want to be with you forever in a no homo sense. Come on Wonshik, we've had a threesome bromance going on for centuries."

"He has a way with making things sound way dirtier than they really are." Sally commented dryly.

"Trust me, that's only scratching the surface." Wonshik grumbled. 

"But it's a fun game! Pick something wholesome and cute and I'll totally make it raunchy. I sug-"

"Let's save that for another time." Wonshik railroaded over Jaehwan's runaway train. 

"Yeah, how about we save that for never. See ya guys." Sally added with an uncomfortable grimace.

"Bye" Wonshik called after her in an apologetic tone before turning back to Jaehwan. "I really do have a favor to ask. And no, it's not going to the store. It's something you like doing and you don't have to leave the building. Come here." Wonshik dragged him out of earshot into the kitchen.

"Wait I'm confused. What game are we playing now?"

"Jae, focus. Ok. I need your pick pocket skills. I need you to steal something from Hyuk without him noticing. We will need to put it back too."

"Wonshik how scandalous! Stealing candy from a baby! We can't put back eaten candy. It doesn't work that way."

"Jae, focus. It's actually something that I think might be serious."

"What, is he cheating on his taxes? Oww! Sorry, sorry. Don't pinch me. What is it?"

"Hyuk was asking Chanyeol about ghosts and Chanyeol said that he showed him a creepy picture of a ghost. But it's probably the version of his mom he's been seeing in his nightmares. I want to see it."

Jaehwan let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his face. "Ok, you see it, we put it back, then what? What do we do with that information afterwards, hm? Isn't it enough just to know that he's drawing scary pictures of his mother?"

"He thinks his mom is a ghost haunting him and that it isn't just a dream. He thinks she's really out to get him. Can you imagine how freaking scary that would be for him?"

The older vampire let out a long exhale. "I see what you mean. But we don't need the picture if we have the reasoning. Sorry Shikkie. No ghost picture for you. But how do we deal with a ghost? Do we call an exorcist?" 

Hyuk's head popped into the kitchen. "Are you guys talking about ghosts?"

"Ah! Fricking Hell! What are you? The devil?" Jaehwan screeched from being caught off guard.

Hyuk looked as if he was thinking it over. "I think I've been called that before."

"No, no, ignore that. You are not the devil." Wonshik admonished sternly. "If anyone calls you that again tell me, because you are not evil." Not the type of evil the child thought of himself as at least. The jury was still out on his sense of humor.

Hyuk looked self-conscious "Riiigghhtt. Um…"

"Ghosts? You want to know about ghosts?" Jaehwan prodded. 

"Kinda. I asked Chanyeol about them, but he didn't have anything useful."

"Yeah, he said that you showed him a picture that scared the bejeezus out of him." Wonshik said, trying to keep the tone light hearted. 

"Can we see? I like ghost stories." Jaehwan coaxed gently. Reluctantly Hyuk pulled the drawing out of his pocket and hopped up on a stool at the counter where he smoothed the paper out. It was just as gory as Chanyeol described. Jaehwan hugged their mini vampire tightly from behind. "That’s what you see? When you dream?" Hyuk nodded and leaned his head on Jaehwan. It was oddly relieving to show the adults the picture. He didn't have to talk. Pictures talked for him. 

"I'm sorry you have to see her when she's at her scariest. What did she look like before?"

"She was pretty. Taekwoon's got the pictures somewhere."

"Is it all right if I ask him to bring them here?" Hyuk stayed silent, not really liking the idea, but not sure how to say no. Something was going to go wrong if he saw them. It didn't make sense, but that sense of foreboding made him decide. 

"Can he show you the pictures later?" He asked quietly, then a little more boldly. "And aren't you guys supposed to be working? And I've got homework."

"ok, ok…Hyuk, can I show this to Taekwoon?" Jaehwan asked carefully. 

"Only if he won't freak out. I don't really want to talk about it. Just whatever you do, don't show Hakyeon. It will scare him."

"Yeah, he would probably hide under his desk." Wonshik said with a gentle, but strained smile.

"But not in the funny way, like chasing Taekwoon with bugs funny. Like the sad crying way. So don't show him. He's already scared of his own stuff. So promise you won't show Hakyeon?"

"Promise." They both assured him. "Taekwoon will put it away somewhere safe for us."

"kay. I'm feeling tired, can I go upstairs?"

"Sure, clean up your crayons first though." Wonshik cradled Hyuk's head in his hands to tilt up to his eyes. "Thank you for showing us. I know it probably wasn't easy. Sleep tight Hyukkie, we love you."

Once the mini vampire receded upstairs they both exhaled the breath they were holding. "Fuck, what did we just do?" Wonshik gasped as he leaned on the counter, head tucked down.

"Is your heart racing? Mine's racing. And our hearts don't even do that anymore." Jaehwan jabbered. Jin entered the kitchen, took in the sight of them, then decided he didn't want to know and left.

. . .

"Yeah, I figured it would be something like this." Taekwoon said as he examined the picture. They had secretively pulled him into a nook to reveal their new Hyuk intel. It didn't feel like much of a reveal though. The child's version of it wasn't as shocking as when he saw the real thing.

"He thinks she's a ghost! That doesn't bother you at all?" Jaehwan whisper yelled. 

"Jaehwan if he's upstairs you don't have to whisper. It does bother me, but I don't think she's a ghost. She's only haunting him in the internalized sense….And he doesn't know what to do with that…I guess it would make sense that an eight year old would go for an explanation that is more literal than abstract. I'm not sure how to deal with this one. What do you think?" Taekwoon asked still staring down the crayon nightmare.

"Call an exorcist." Wonshik said grumpily. 

"Not what I meant."

"How do you know she isn't a ghost?" Wonshik followed up with a meek pout.

"Even if she was a ghost my mom tried to tell him that she's a momma bear ghost that is trying to protect him from the people that did this. 'What mother would blame him for this' Is the kind of thing she was saying."

"Does he buy it?" Jaehwan asked.

"Apparently."

"According to the picture he doesn't believe the protective bit though." Jaehwan pointed out. 

"That's what I was afraid of. And his nightmares haven't gotten any better."

"Consult a medium?" 

"Wonshik, we are not calling a medium. We aren't calling anyone." Taekwoon shut him down dryly. "Has he always been this superstitious?" He asked of Jaehwan, who nodded teasingly as if he hadn't asked the same question minutes ago.

"Hey there is a lot that science can't explain!" Wonshik protested. 

. . .

When Taekwoon returned for the morning he plopped down on Hyuk's bed and leaned on the head board. He caught view of him playing some fantasy game on his DS. He admired the graphics which had drastically improved since that of his childhood gameboy. 

"I don't want to talk about it." Hyuk said preemptively, side eyeing his guardian with worry. 

"That's fine. I just want to be next to you right now." Taekwoon said tiredly as he ran his fingers through Hyuk's hair and watched the game. Taekwoon didn't realize he had tired resting bitch face until Hyuk paused his game and rolled over to look at him fully. 

"Are you mad at me?" Hyuk asked in a fearful, small voice. 

Taekwoon scrunched his face in confusion. "No, not at all. Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know. You look mad though."

"No, not mad, just tired. When Jaehwan and Wonshik get silly they wear me out a bit."

"They're ridiculous." Hyuk said in exasperation that sounded funny coming from a child. 

Taekwoon yawned and nodded. He looked at his phone to find that it was nearly 6am. "Bud, I think it's bed time. Time to put away the game and put on your PJ's ok."

"m'kay."

Mad, no. Frustrated and heartbroken for his suffering, yes. Regardless of whether phantoms were involved or not, the terror in the drawing had a reality of its own. It made the impasse of his fear seem all the most deeply entrenched. The woman was misunderstood and now she was her son's monster, just as Hyuk was her helpless monster and her demise back then. Hyuk wasn't seeing her as human anymore. He didn't seen himself as human anymore. 

Taekwoon started pounding nails into the living room wall while Hyuk was still getting ready for bed. He looked like a startled deer when he ran out to see what was going on. In horror, he watched as Taekwoon hung up five picture frames. A family portrait the Hans had taken when Hyuk was five in the center. His father sitting beside Hyuk on his second birthday smiling as the toddler demolished a piece of cake. His mother nuzzling him as a baby. Seven year old Hyuk at a baseball game sitting on his cheerful mom's knee. He was cutely wearing a baseball hat that was too big for him and smiling with a missing-tooth grin. Another was a picture of him on his dad's shoulders at a festival where he got his face painted with a skillfully done dragon. He was probably four at the time. 

Taekwoon couldn't help smiling at the cute set of pictures even despite them being documentation of sadly rare happy moments. "So…I know you don't want to talk, but can you listen for a sec? It will only take a minute." Hyuk didn't respond, he just stood stiffly still. "When you have a nightmare I want you to come out here and see what they really looked like. Because what you see in your nightmares is not the same. None of you are a monster or each other's nightmares. Take a look." Taekwoon stood back and pointed to them. The boy mechanically stepped forward to do as told. It was strange to see the details he had started forgetting. It hurt. This was from before, when thing were normal. Hyuk didn't know how to say it, but this didn't reflect their expressions in their last moments. That would never leave his head and his parents were trapped in that moment. He was the one that trapped them there. He closed his eyes, but seconds later his sobs were tremendous. Taekwoon tried to hug him, but Hyuk swiftly padded off to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He came to the dimly formed conclusion that this wasn't a ghost he could appeal to.

All Taekwoon could do was wait. It was something they needed to face and in his frustration he didn't feel all that bad about the exposure, as long as he pushed down his debilitating uncertainty anyways. He sat in the chair across from the bittersweet photos feeling world weary and numb. The pictures were right, but everything else just felt wrong. 

. . .


	31. Just Think About It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I'm also tired of being indecisive and at a stand still with it -_- So here's what I got.

When Taekwoon woke, Hyuk was nestled in next to him. The fear of his nightmares outweighed his anger. "Hi" the adult whispered and got a muffled, petulant whine as an acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry about last night. I should have thought things through more. I'll take down the pictures when I get up."

"I don't care about the pictures. Don't bother." Hyuk replied in a blanket covered grumble.

"It was that I did it at all huh?"

"No, I just thought of something sad. Don't worry about it." The boy tried to dismiss. 

"oh, m'kay…..Are we…are we good? Are you mad at me?"

"No, kinda…we're good. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Ok." It didn't feel like a good idea to drop it, but Taekwoon didn't know how to continue it either. "I should probably get up and get ready for work. I have to go down a little early for a staff meeting. You can go back to sleep if you want."

Hyuk peeled back the covers he was wrapped in. "Can I do my homework up here today? I want to be left alone." Hyuk asked anxiously.

"All right, I suppose. I'll come check on you every now and then so see how you're doing ok?"

"Kay"

. . .

"So keep that in mind. Next, I know it's a bit early, but I wanted to get this on the radar for you guys. We've got some things to go over before going into the holiday season." Hakyeon segued from his other announcements and small admonishments.

"I thought we just got out of the holiday season." Taekwoon whispered to Minhyuk. 

"Maybe there is some secret vampire holiday we don't know about." He offered just as confused as the other.

The boss rattled on, oblivious to the side conversation. "First off, we'll be closing at midnight on February 8th and won't be reopening until midnight at the end of the 12th. Cleaning day falls on the 9th this year and everyone will be assigned a task. Once everything on the first floor of Vixx is clean we'll put up the decorations too. As usual when that's done you get gift cards so you can go out and get yourselves a new clothes to wear for whenever and this year you'll be going to f(x) Apparel to get fitted for some formal wear (on my tab). I'll come back to that part in a minute. The time period we are closed is also for you guys to get your own personal preparations done too. Pay off your debts, clean your houses, go shopping and what not. This is optional, but Jin will open up the kitchen one of those days for anyone who wants to make Valentine's day chocolates. Jin says guys can participate too since he feels too lazy to do this again for white day in March. If you have cooking skills he will let you help out in making other holiday foods. 

Next we will be open on the 14th, but if you want time off on that day let me know and I'll do the best I can. Same goes for the week following since that's usually a good time to go see family. 

That brings us to the annual Lunar New Year's Eve party itself." 

…Oh, duh…that's what this was about…

"I thought we might try something a little different this year since it falls close to Valentine's day. The reason for paying special attention to formal dress is that we're going to do a masquerade gala. If you don't see anything you like when you are at f(x) remember clothes should be red or some shade of it; pinks, maroon, mahogany, burgundy, vermillion. You get the idea. At least go to get an idea for the style we're going for. You'll also be picking up your masks at f(x). Everyone is wearing the same one as sort a uniform. I'll hang some pictures up on the bulletin board for you to vote on. 

Next, I'm working on lining up entertainment for the night, but if you'd like to perform let me know and we'll talk it over. As usual we will have fortune tellers here. Please don't piss them off. I don't need a repeat of 1981. That was a bad year, too many fires in this building for it to be coincidence. Good thing insurance was around by then."

Jaehwan waved his hand around like an eager elementary student. "Oh! Can we also get someone to do a spiritual cleansing on the building to get rid of evil spirits too?" He asked. 

"Huh?" The boss had missed the earlier ghost drama. 

Taekwoon groaned. "No, Jae. I already told you guys there aren't actually any ghosts." 

"But Taekwoon! Think of the children! And us, but mostly the children." Taekwoon just face palmed in response. He was glad the child in question was upstairs and didn't care about the staff meeting.

"You are children." Taekwoon grumbled under his breath.

Hakyeon was lost and a little weirded out but gave his coven mate the go ahead anyway. "Uh…sure… Couldn't hurt I guess. If it makes you feel better knock yourselves out." He gave Taekwoon an apologetic shrug and the feeder waved it away, resigned to putting up with the superstitious vampires. After dismissal for red blood cell count draws Hakyeon swept Eunkwang, Minhyuk and Taekwoon off to the side.

"Minnie! Kwangie! Woonie! I wanted to run an idea past you guys!" He schmoozed. 

"No" It was Taekwoon's knee jerk reaction to the cringy pet names. 

The brothers rolled their eyes in amusement and patted Taekwoon's back. "What did you have in mind?"

"Do you think Hyuk and Sungjae would like to run around in a lion dance costume? They don't actually have to learn a routine. I just thought it might be cute. Where is Hyuk anyway?" Hakyeon craned around in confusion. 

"Um…he had a bad morning. He wanted to be left alone tonight." Taekwoon said with an apologetic grimace. Regardless of what Hyuk said he still felt guilty. The other three took in his crestfallen look with empathy, but were unsure of what to say.

"Ah…I'm sorry to hear that…um, if you want you can take tonight off to go be with him." Hakyeon offered. 

"No, that's ok. I just need to go check on him every now and again. He might want a little break from me. After all that ghost drama yesterday I decided to put up the Han family pictures to remind him what they looked like so he wouldn't see them as well scary ghosts in his…dreams. I'm just hoping I don't go up there and they are all smashed up. They're really cute. I have copies on my phone. Want to see?" He asked, some of the gloom lifting in the offer. Hakyeon yelled out "Waaah!" in excitement and made grabby hands for Taekwoon's cell. It wasn't long before Hakyeon was gleefully running around with the commandeered phone to coo over baby Hyuk pictures with others. 

"Holy shit, he is hyper today." Minhyuk noted with confoundment. Wonshik corralled them over for their blood draws. 

"Hakyeon loves holidays, especially ones where he gets to dress up. Adding in the pictures is what brought all that pent up energy to the surface I think. If he gets insufferable just hit him. He's like a puppy that has a bad habit of jumping on people when he's excited." Wonshik shrugged then stuck Eunkwang with a needle. 

"He was due for a good day, though." Jaehwan mumbled as he was worked on Minhyuk's arm. He wore a small smile that couldn't hide his ache for his coven mate. The brothers looked confused, but Taekwoon caught their eyes and subtle shook his head so they would leave it alone. 

Jaehwan hoped there wouldn't be a matching low that followed this. He was finding that there were very few therapists that would be willing to meet with a patient after sundown. He would keep looking, but told Hakyeon he would wait until after the holiday festivities to schedule a first appointment. Hakyeon was both relieved and restless from the impending mental decompartmentalizing. 

Luckily he had planning to keep him preoccupied. Truthfully Lunar new year was a favorite of Jaehwan's too. It was something that almost all Asian vampires had been celebrating since they were kids, being as it has been the biggest holiday in the eastern hemisphere for thousands of years. It was colorful and they generally had skilled entertainers. Even if they didn't manage to snag any artisans willing to perform in front of a room full of natural predators (one acrobat said it was akin to asking a zebra to tap dance in front of a lion…) there were many talented vampires in their community that would step up. The Lunar New Year was something they all had in common and their friends that didn't drop by very often, reliably came to pay homage to the old night kingdom monarchs for the holiday. San E and Eun Young were in attendance most years, a minor down side that he tolerated. 

. . .

In the days following the initial ghost debacle, Hyuk barely talked. Taekwoon didn't have the heart to pressure him into lessons either. Thankfully Hyuk didn't try to attack the photos that Taekwoon hung up. He would catch Taekwoon smiling and looking at them while drinking his coffee, so the charge tried to endure. At first Hyuk wanted to be angry and avoid Taekwoon, but after the first nightmare he went straight to Taekwoon's side and never left. He became anxious and painfully shy. 

Taekwoon was kicking himself and felt guilty about not thinking things though. They were camped out on the living room floor watching the movie 'cars' on their big window tv screen. Hyuk was watching anyway. Taekwoon was rubbing the boy's back and was lost in thought. He blurted it out and immediately mentally berated himself for being impulsive again.

"Let's try it from this angle. In hypothetical land I'm the vam-"

"What's hypothetical land?"

"Ah, hypothetical will be the big word of the day then. It means making up a situation to explore possibilities. So if I say hypothetical land I mean that we're imagining a place where the scenario is real. So we try to look at a situation from a whole bunch of angles to figure out what should be done."

"…Like an RPG?"

"Kinda."

"So what's the thing we're imagining?"

"Let's imagine that I was the one who got turned into the vampire and not you. And let's say I'm only one day old and I was the one that hurt your mom-"

"Killed"

"uh……yeah…killed. What would you do? What would you think of me?" Taekwoon watched as Hyuk took in the shocking question. He looked like his brain short circuited. "You don't have to answer now. It's just a thought. Or what if it was you I attacked. If you were a ghost afterward what would you think of me then?"

"I-I don't know."

"It's a lot to wrap your mind around huh? Take your time. It's ok. In fact let's take a step back. I'm the new vampire and I kill some random person because I couldn't control my hunger. Try that one. And it's me doing it, not you."

"I don't want you to hurt people. I don't think you would. You're really tough."

"But in hypothetical land I'm not. I don't think I would be tough enough in real life, but that's a whole other train of thought."

"No, it would be different with you. You would have been able to stop."

"Hm, ok…what if it was your clone? No…no…um, if it was Sungjae. If Sungjae was the vampire and he hurt, say, one of his brothers."

"Depends on which one."

"Oh, does it now? Don't tell them that. How about Eunkwangie. He's really nice."

"…That would suck. Does it have to be Eunkwang? He's really cool. I don't want that happening to him. What about Changsub? He's annoying."

"hm, no. I think for this hypothetical land it's got to be Eunkwang."

"I don't like hypothetical land. It sucks."

"Hypothetical land can be a harsh place. The only reason I ask is because I'm wondering if you would think of others in your shoes the same way you think of yourself. Just think about it. I'm going to go get myself some food and then I'll be right back kay?"

"m'kay." Instead Hyuk just turned up the volume so that Lightening McQueen could deafen his thoughts.

. . .

Hyuk didn't realize it was Friday when Sungjae tackled him the next day. Why did it have to be Sungjae who was in hypothetical land? He had terrible impulse control. He didn't want to think about his friend being a killer. Worst. Timing. Ever. 

Sungjae was getting frustrated. He had run through his whole list of stuff they could do and Hyuk wasn't interested in any of it. "You're no fun." Sungjae pouted and flopped his torso back on Hyuk's bed only to restlessly sit straight up again and make a bee line for his toys. "If you don't want to do anything I'm playing with your Legos." Hyuk just mumbled a go ahead and aimlessly joined him to make a simple pyramid. At first Sungjae felt weirded out by the gloomy atmosphere, but it wasn't long until he was so absorbed in his task that he jumped when Hyuk spoke.

"What do you think of me?"

"YYYYou're my best friend. Why?" He asked, dreading where this conversation might go.

"You're ok being best friends with a murderer?" Shit. The other boy contemplated the question. The obvious short answer was yes, but the reasoning was more tricky. He had never thought of Hyuk as a murderer.

"I mean, you didn't really mean to, so yeah. We're cool." Sungjae turned back to the Legos, hoping it was over. No such luck.

"But what if for pretends …what if I did meant to?" 

"Are you trying to tell me you're thirsty right now?" Sungjae asked, feeling unnerved. Hyuk looked broody and his gaze was too intense to make eye contact with.

"No, no, no, no. I'm fine. It's just a pretend question."

"I'm confused, did you?"

"What if…I…did?"

Sungjae's mind went blank as he stared at his Lego formation. He didn't like questions that made him think, but Hyuk looked like he was needing answers. This wasn't making any sense though. This wasn't like Hyuk. All the boy knew is that he didn't want to lose his best friend. "Um…yeah, you're still my friend."

"But what I did was seriously wrong."

"And you're sorry. I know if you could undo it you would…At Sunday school Sister Chorong said something like…evil people do really bad things and they aren't sorry about it. They even keep doing it. She said that's why I shouldn't hit Ilhoon when he made fun of me. Then she made us both say five Hail Mary's and if we did it again she would make us sit in the corner and say Hail Mary's until our parents came to get us. All of us pinky promised to truce at church so we don't get in trouble there, because those nuns are scary. Changsub 's new girlfriend was being mean and said that nuns are just mad at the rest of world because they think it's gross that other people want to get laid. I don't know what that means, but it sounded mean. I don't like her and I'm still mad that they laughed at me when I asked what getting laid means. Changsub was all like "I'm not the brother that is in charge of giving you that information" What a prick. And…Oh uh…What were we talking about again?" Sungjae asked sheepishly when he saw that Hyuk was unamused and undistracted by the nun story. The original subject felt too big for him. Sungjae was more comfortable with fart jokes than having dissecting conversations about morality. 

"That what I did was really wrong."

"Right, right! Point is you feel sorry and you've worked really hard to make sure you don't do it again. So you aren't evil."

"But I still want to."

"Kill people?" 

Hyuk nodded dejectedly. 

"So…Am I like a walking happy meal?"

"I can't eat those. It doesn't even really sound good anymore."

"Fine, uh- walking blood bag?"

Hyuk shuddered and closed his eyes to admit it "Yeah, in a way….I understand if you don't want to be around me anymore, since I'm all murder-y and stuff." Sungjae moved to sit next to Hyuk.

"I should be scared, but I'm not….I believe in you."

"You aren't known for making the best decisions."

"They may not be the best, but they are the most fun ones." Sungjae replied mischievously. 

"True. It's always fun when you're around. This place is usually pretty boring." They fell silent for a time, lazily just leaning on one another before Sungjae spoke again.

"So killing me would feel good in the moment, but later when you are done it doesn't feel good, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I sometimes forget when I'm feeding though. And I already can't forgive myself for-" Hyuk stopped himself from continuing, instead just nestling into Sungjae's shoulder. After a couple minutes he croak "I miss them. I hate myself and I miss them."

"I know……you shouldn't hate yourself. You're nice most of the time. There's nothing to hate."

"I deserve it, though. They don't get to live anymore all because I wanted blood. And when I got blood I wanted to kill the person giving me blood. I like it. The struggle and the- urg God I gross myself out. I'm disgusting. And you're stupid."

"Um ouch. What the hell?"

"You're the dumb one that hangs out with me. I bet if I start describing it you'll hate me and run away."

"Hyuk, stop…Just stop. Just be my friend…please. Be you."

"But it's a part of me now."

"Fine, hate that part, but like the rest of yourself. You're cool. I don't know if it makes sense, but remember when Taekwoon said that we shouldn't try to be characters, we should just be ourselves. When you talk like that you don't sound like you. I have no idea if that makes sense, but yeah! You're just as dumb as me."

"Idiot."

"We both are."

"No just you."

"Don't be an ass, you cranky ass face."

"Dick head"

"Crabby….toe scum"

"Fungus face."

"Ooh, nice one. I may have to use that later. Um, frog brain."

"Cat piss"

"I don't think that one works."

"Oh, cat piss drinker?"

"Eh, weak….more like…cat piss breath."

"mm, yeah that would make more sense. What else…drunken…noodle head. Meh, that's just weird."

"Yeah…..how about lard lord."

"Ooh buurrrrnnn. Or well, burn on someone eventually." Dozens more replaced any further deep thinking. That's as much as the boys could handle for the night. 

. . .


	32. Playing Dirty

Things had been routine and quiet for a while. It was a nondescript evening when Taekwoon clocked in and wandered past the boss who was seated in the lounge. Things had been peaceful for a while, but the odd noises he picked up on were the end of it.

"What are you watching?" Taekwoon asked, trying to decipher why Hakyeon would be watching what looked like a tele-evangelist on his phone. Hakyeon didn't strike him as the religious type. 

"Have you heard of Kwan Museong?" Taekwoon shook his head. 

"I hadn't either until I saw him standing outside with a protest sign saying that this place was a den of iniquity. I decided to chat him up and see why he thought that being that he's never been in here, and he told me about his website where I found these videos. He didn't even realize I was a vampire until I told him I was the owner and if he didn't get the fuck off of my property I would call the cops. The guy is a major ass hat."

"Then why are you watching his videos?" Taekwoon asked with concern.

"I wanted better insight as to what I was dealing with and it turns out he has quite a following. So If you come home and there is a mob with torches and pitchforks you might want to take the back entrance."

"In riots these day you are more likely to see baseball bats and Molotov cocktails." Taekwoon corrected.

"True…It doesn't help that his son was killed by a vampire. He was just 14. Why are people so violent?" Hakyeon lamented.

Now that Hakyeon had told him about it Taekwoon was curious about this protestor. He slipped out to run errands the next afternoon to scout the situation out. The preacher was now across the street,  
safe on neutral ground. This time he came back with four more disgruntled congregation members. Taekwoon went around the block to keep his approach and identity inconspicuous. He pretended to not have much interest as he walked by, waiting for them to approach him which took a matter of seconds.

A pushy soccer mom approached him. "Excuse me sir. We are from the National Humanity Preservation Society and we're looking to pass laws about protections on vampires. Would you be willing to sign a petition so we can get an amendment in front of legislators?"

"Um, well I don't really know much about it. Would you mind if I look into first? I don't like to sign unless I'm informed."

"Of course! Certainly. Here is a pamphlet outlining what we are all about and we meet after service at the church just down the street which you are most welcome to as well. As you know there has been so much vampire violence in this city and we would love to get your support on demanding stricter laws so that we can crack down on the killings. Oh, there is a website too. There's the address."

"Ok, thanks. I'll take a look."

"Perfect! Oh and what is your name?"

"Leo" There was no way in hell she was getting a real name. 

"Well I hope we see you around Leo!" He waved and walked a large loop to get back to Vixx unseen. 

What he saw in the pamphlet enraged him. They didn't want to crack down on vampire violence. They wanted to treat them as if they were a humanoid weapons. They wanted it so that vampires had to register with the government and all new vampires had to declare themselves upon entry to the country. Anywhere you couldn't take a knife or a gun, you couldn't take them. Government buildings, schools and universities, airports and hospitals. They wanted to limit what human rights were extended to vampires, the type of rights that would make them easier to arrest and harder for them to earn a living. They wanted to limit what occupations vampires could hold and for how long, the most obvious positions relating to the places they would be restricted from. They wanted to make it illegal for vampires to feed directly from humans (it would be equally illegal to be a feeder), relying strictly on state vampire sustainability programs. 

He wanted to go back to sleep until it was time to open but he was too restless. He tried watching TV, he tried cleaning, he tried playing around on the internet, nothing soothed him. Finally he just wandered down to Vixx 's kitchen and poked around for something appealing. Nothing was but he decided to pick at some dry cereal. It would be another hour before anyone would be up and starting to get ready for the night so the quiet of the lounge was inviting. He picked a chair and watched the tree ceiling for a while trying to empty his mind. 

"You're up early." Hakyeon startled him from his spot two couches over. Taekwoon ventured over to him now seeing the light from his tablet at this angle. He was playing a mindless looking game and seemed very groggy. 

"I had errands to run. This is pretty early for you too. I don't think the sun sets for another hour."

"Couldn't sleep. It's hard to go back to sleep with Wonshik's snoring. His room is right next to mine."

They let silence fall over them. Hakyeon sitting on the couch with his game and Taekwoon leaning on a faux tree column, munching on cereal. He took the pamphlet out of his pocket and slide it across the coffee table to Hakyeon. "There were five out there today and they were handing out these. They even asked me to sign a petition. I didn't let them see me come back here in case you need someone to go chat them up again." Taekwoon spoke in almost a whisper. Hakyeon looked it over numbly. "Figures." he mumbled as he read through it. Taekwoon felt overwhelmed by the threatening campaign. Hakyeon was surprised when Taekwoon came around the back of the couch and hugged him but gladly petted his arms comfortingly. "I hate this. Them. Whatever. It makes me feel sick to my stomach." he mumbled into Hakyeon's shoulder. 

"Don't you dare throw up on me." Hakyeon mock warned, trying to lift the feeder's mood a little. Taekwoon just huff a small laugh and play bit Hakyeon's shoulder before standing up to wipe at his watering eyes. He would have kept his composure but Hakyeon somehow caught on and gently pulled Taekwoon's wrist to guide the feeder to sit next to him. He cried so much it actually did hurt his stomach. It wasn't Hakyeon's first time seeing this kind of extremism but it was Taekwoon's. Hakyeon held him tightly and rubbed his back while murmuring reassurances. They had rags to mop up the occasional blood spill in the end tables and Hakyeon dabbed at the feeder's face with one. 

"Taekwoon" Hakyeon cooed softly. "I know it looks bad. They look scary, but you know that I'm scarier right? I've been playing the game long before their ancestors were born. I've spent the last fifty years securing vampires' place in the modern era. They won't be able to win over enough politicians to vote on this. I have lots of safe guards in place."

"You do?" Taekwoon sounded nasally and sniffled. Hakyeon hummed an affirmative and Taekwoon asked "Like what?"

"Well, for one, I know of all the nuances on how our broken government works. Nuances they would have no clue how to tap into. And I've met a lot of politicians. I know which ones like vampires and which don't. And regardless of pro or anti vampire they all like vampire money. We're old money after all. I know which crooked buttons to push."

"Really?"

"You know I play dirty. Besides I'm the one that got blood bars legalized. Not much fuss was made really. I had to make a deal with a particularly slimy politician. The deal was I couldn't advertise Vixx or put any attention on them. There were some other incentives involved but that was the main thing."

"How do people find you then? I mean the only reason I found out about this place is because I was told by a vampire that I caught hunting."

"And you lived?" Hakyeon's face scrunched incredulously.

"I promised not to tell anyone about the body she was dumping. It was terrifying but at that point I was desperate to get Hyuk something. He was in rough shape." Hakyeon felt chilled at Taekwoon's confession. 

"Geez, never do that again. To answer your question it involves those state vampire sustainability programs, the ones that give blood bags to 'patients'. I couldn't get rid of them, even though I had Jae present them with established scientific evidence that they wouldn't work. So I made an under the table deal with the director. She sends us new vampires and we take the blood bags they get from the programs as snacks. Dongwoo and Sungyeol bring them to us all the time. In return I send her a wine basket and a fat envelope full of money every couple months. Which reminds me I need to do that. Can I send you with Hongbin to do that? He likes to have someone to watch his back when he visits the director."

"Um, sure I guess." They sat quietly for a while, Taekwoon now mostly composed again. He pulled out of the embrace but looped an arm around Hakyeon's and leaned his head on his shoulder so that the boss wouldn't get whiny about the sudden lack of skin ship. He felt drained, like his energy had poured out with the tears. Hakyeon quietly started rambling again, not able to stay silent for long, not that Taekwoon minded.

"I hate the lies the programs are supposed to sell. They're designed to kill their enrollees, either from attrition or they get so hungry they hurt someone and get carted off to jail. Vampires in prison generally don't live for more than a year. They get segregated from the main population and a lot of times in desperation they try to drink their own blood. Vampire bodies don't make life force so obviously they won't get it from their own blood. It causes brain damage for vampires much like it would if a human wasn't getting enough oxygen. It's sad. 

I once sent a vampire to jail back in the 1990's, because he attacked one of my feeders when she was walking her dog. He nearly killed her. It turned out he had been stalking her for some time and unfortunately he met her here. I thought I was doing the right thing by putting him behind bars. That I was being self-controlled for not killing him myself. He asked for her and wrote to her all the time so I went to visit him to tell him to stop. He had bitten every inch of his arms he could reach and none of his wounds would heal. He looked like a zombie from the movies. He didn't write anymore soon after, just because he didn't have mental competency to communicate anymore. He died a month and a half later. If I could do it over I would just kill him. In the war we used starvation techniques but we never let it go that far. 

That fake preacher will never take down Vixx. Even if I have to pull out all the stops. I-" He was going to continue but the lounge's lights flicked on and Jaehwan giggled. 

"What naughty things are you two up to in the dark, hm?"

"Don't be a perv. We were just talking. About this actually." Hakyeon handed the pamphlet over to the doctor whose face contorted to animal like rage as he read. 

"Are those fuckers out there right now?" He growled. Taekwoon timidly shrugged, unsure. Jaehwan made for the front doors and Hakyeon called out a reminder to not get the cops called on himself. 

"We should probably get ready." The boss said reluctantly, not wanting to leave the comfort of his friend. As Taekwoon made to leave he turned to Hakyeon once more. 

"Hakyeon, my life revolves around vampires. I don't want any of this happening to you guys. Let me know if you need any help to shut these ass holes down." The boss smiled fondly at the offer. 

"I will. For now just focus on protecting Hyukkie from all of this." 

. . .

Business hours: 8am to 5pm M-F

It was the reason he and Hongbin were sent on this errand. 

"I still don't understand why you need me." Taekwoon complained, baffled about what purpose he was serving. 

"Because I have to do a little flirting. If I have a sour puss like you around insisting that we have to go to some fictitious appointment we can get out of there without her trying to make a move on me. Blagh. She's probably older than my mom. When I start signaling get us out of there."

"The signal being?"

"Cringing. I do that when I'm uncomfortable. It will be pretty obvious. Haven't you noticed I do that?" Fair point, he would start to curl in on himself with his hands balled into claws whenever anyone in their circle said anything cheesy or embarrassing. 

"Here we are." They stopped in front of the hospital's phlebotomy department and asked the front desk girl to let the director know she had a gift basket from Cha Hakyeon. An exuberant middle aged woman nearly skipped to come see the feeder. "Beanie! Are you sure you aren't a vampire? Every time I see you, you look absolutely gorgeous." Must. Contain. The. Cringe. "Come on back, let's catch up. Who is your friend?"

"This is Taekwoon. He works with me at Vixx. Taekwoon this is director Shin. Say hi?" Taekwoon was playing his part perfectly. In an indifferent and somewhat grumpy manner he made gave her a small wave and looked away pretending to examine the office. This was the way he was with new people so being told to act sour was a moot point. 

"He's a little shy." Hongbin said with a warm smile. He softly touched her shoulder to guide her into her office. 

"So how's business been?" He asked with a gooey sweet smile as he leaned forward on his elbows, planting his chin on his palm. She mirrored him on her side of the desk as if completely entranced. 

"As far as humans go it's business as usual but for vampires we really haven't had any in lately. That must mean Vixx is taking good care of our poor unfortunate transformees."

"Ah, Dongwoo sends his love. He appreciates the guidance you gave him. He's doing much better now. Same with Sungyeol."

"I'm glad to hear it. Those poor boys went through so much." 

"What happened?" Taekwoon asked suddenly curious, barely remaining aloof. Turnings were very deliberate and intentional. They didn't happen by accident. 

"They were part of a smuggling ring and helped the police catch the gang leader after he mauled a girl in cold blood. They testified and he got the death sentence. As revenge the leader ordered his lieutenant to turn them and burn them. It would have been a drawn out death being that their bodies would be desperately trying to heal themselves. They were able to escape by spending a sweaty day hiding in someone's car trunk and calling the police to tow the car to a dark garage." The director Shin said somberly. "Damn vamps. I mean not yours of course. Just gang violence. I wish there was a way to crack down on it. Get rid of it for good." 

"It just seems to get worse and worse every time we hear of it" Hongbin commiserated. "Still the most appalling I've seen is this drug dealing gang that turned an eight year old and used him to-" Taekwoon kicked him to shut him up. He gave him a dark glare. The idea of making Hyuk the ultimate trump card to tragedy one upping was not a welcome one. Who knows who the woman would blab to. She probably shouldn't have even talked about the two fresh vampires. If they were patients there was probably some kind of patient confidentiality law she was disregarding. 

Hongbin abruptly changed direction. "Actually I don't remember what for. But anyways how have you been? Is your hair color different? It's a really pretty color on you."

"Oh you notice! How sweet of you." The director said, clearly eating up the attention. 

"And the cut really frames your face nicely. It makes your beautiful eyes stand out." Hongbin schmoozed. His hands were starting to curl and he leaned back to hide it. 

"Oh, sweetheart. Now you're just trying to flatter me. At this rate I'll need you to come work for me so I can hear things like that every day. I bet I could match Hakyeon's pay."

"He would get jealous though." Hongbin shrugged it off with an apologetic smile. "I owe him, so I kinda have to stay put for the time being."

"Aww, but vampires have no sense of how quickly time passes. Couldn't he spare you for a few years?"

"As much as I would love that you know how possessive he can get. And if I worked here I might get too possessive of you. You would be quite distracting." He raised his eyebrows suggestively for good measure and Taekwoon could see all of his muscles tensing. It was tempting to subject Hongbin to more of the cringy interaction but he was starting to get second hand embarrassment just from watching. 

"Hongbin, it's later than we thought. If we stay any longer I might miss my flight. Can you please take me to the airport now?" Taekwoon whined, as expected of him, sourly. 

"Oh, shoot I'm sorry. Yes, let's get you to the airport!" Hongbin said in mock realization. "I'm sorry this visit was short, but remember I'll always volunteer to come see you." He brushed a strand of her hair back and smirked promisingly. She was completely enamored. 

In the parking lot, once they were confident they were unseen, Hongbin spazed out yelling, flexing his hands to uncurl them and jumping in circles to burn off his fight or flight response. "Hakyeon owes me big time. Argh! That was so cringy. So cringy. I hate being on bribe duty. I hate it. I have to say the cheesiest things! Agh!" Taekwoon just rolled his eyes. At least it was quick. 

. . .


	33. Shopping List

This might be a good time to mention that Eun Young's character in this story took a life of its own in the midst of the plot and doesn't really reflect the real Eun Young anymore. Her personality isn't really congruent with the story's character so they shouldn't really be associated together any more. Thought I would throw that out there so it makes sense when you see hints at the character's wrong doings.

\---------

"You'd think they were bunnies with how fast they are multiplying." Jaehwan grumbled from where he was flopped, belly down, on the couch. They were doing their post-closing lazing about. 

"I've been keeping track and they've nearly been doubling their numbers each night." Wonshik informed his coven mates. "Should we post a guard out front? I'm worried about them harassing customers and staff." Wonshik mulled over the problem.

"They might get riled up over that though. I imagine they'd do all kinds of things to try to provoke a guard into getting the reaction they want." Jaehwan countered.

"Hmm…not if they can't actually see them." Hakyeon had a sly smirk aimed at the ground, looking very pleased with himself.

"Oh no. Fearless general what are you plotting?" Wonshik asked with profuse worry.

"Wonshik, what do we do? He's got that maniacal war general face on. He's enjoying this isn't he?" Jaehwan half joked. Maybe a little more than half wary.

"Well he's playing my game." The boss purred.

"You lost your last game." Wonshik blurted with stank face.

"Hey! First off, we held up pretty well given the blind siding and handicaps we had. Second this is what I did in the night kingdom. I'm known for the war, but I'm far more practiced at political manipulation. And I've played this game many times in this last century. So stuff it, you!" Hakyeon jokingly admonished and shook a pointing finger at Wonshik. His coven mates snickered at the playful defense.

"Ok Mr. Politician. What is your plan then?" Wonshik smirked.

"I'm so glad you asked my dear Wonshik. Will you please start a shopping list on your tablet for me?"

. . .

The next night there were sixty-two protestors. Wonshik and Bomi were leaning on the door frame of the heavily tinted glass front doors. They could see out, the protestors couldn't see in.

"Man, I really want to punch that hag." She fumed.

"I know. But don't. We don't want to play into their hands. From now on come through the back door. How is your wrist feeling?" He asked softly while glaring at the crowd. A rather bitchy, sign waving, grandma had shoved Bomi and she had crashed on some ice. Her wrist was sprained now. 

Bomi let out a whiny groan. "Broken forever." Wonshik rolled his eyes and ushered her back to the lounge now that the instigator had been identified. He would have to warn the staff about malicious grannies. 

"I thought you said Jaehwan did a good job patching you up?" He teased.

"But nobody has kissed it better."

"You're shameless. Too bad. You have to wait until Hakyeon gets back from his errands."

"But I got work I gotta do. You do it!" Wonshik chuckled and kissed her hand royalty style. 

"There my lady, you are magically healed. Now get back to work." He nagged and then followed it up with a feather light kick to her thigh. 

"You brute." She said in mock offense. 

"Just screw already!" Taemin called from the middle of the lounge. Wonshik and Bomi converged on him to both smack him upside the head. "Don't be so crass you dumb fuck." Wonshik sneered at him.

"Yeah, and mind your own business." Bomi added, just as irritated. 

"Hey Bomi, now you and Minhyuk match. Broken wrist buddies." Mina teased as she flopped said feeder's mostly healed arm. It only elicited an eye roll from her fellow feeders.

"Mina, really not the time for that." Eunkwang rebuked softly. She sheepishly hunkered in her chair and murmured a sorry.

"Nah, it's ok. Mina, it was just a cheesy joke. That's why you got no laughs." Bomi said sticking out her tongue. 

"Bomi, please. It's been a rough week on campus. I- sorry, never mind." Eunkwang tried then died off. He remembered it wasn't really their problem that he was in a downer of a mood.

"What's going on?" Wonshik asked as he leaned on the Taemin's chair.

"There are student groups that are protesting too. There are two vampires that teach night classes in the history department and the groups are demanding they be fired. Also one of those work study kids that had access to admin records leaked the names and addresses of vampire students who were in these night classes. I've heard there has been lots of vandalism and threatening mail, even with the people who live in the gated communities. There aren't any vampires in my once a week night class, but there are a bunch of dumb frat boys that 'check people's smiles' and 'escort' people to their cars and the bus stop. They beat up a kid because he wouldn't smile. I'm tempted to do the same, but I like my face the way it is. Makes me feel pretty useless." Eunkwang lamented to the group.

"Don't pick any fights guys. Don't worry, we've got tricks up our sleeves. You all got the message that there will be a meeting tomorrow night at 7pm with staff and building residents, right?" Wonshik tried to bolster their spirits. They all confirmed. "Ok, good. So with that said, since it's slow-"

"No one is here." Taemin sassed.

"Oh, shut up. It's only 9pm right now you brat. And it's a Tuesday. Week days are slower. Now since you have free time get off your lazy bums and rearrange the lounge area for row seating." Wonshik retorted smugly, then added a stipulation for Bomi and Mina. "Well, except for gimpy and noodle arms. You'll be taping meeting announcements to apartment doors. Stuff is sitting on Hakyeon's desk. And tell Jaebum and Jamie that when they are done with IV's to come out here to help. When everything is done I'll order you guys some pizza. Just don't tell Jin. You're lucky it's his night off." It's funny how fast they perked up at the promise of forbidden junk food. 

. . .

"Hakyeon! Oh my gosh! Hi! Come on in. Wow! What brings you here?" Eun young bubbled ecstatically. Ki glanced over the couch back from where he was watching TV, surprised at the rare sight on Hakyeon willingly visiting his maker's house. 

"I was wondering if you wanted to work on a little project with me. I need to use your spy network."

"Spy network? What spy network?" Eun young said incredulously, trying and failing to look confused. 

"Don't pretend you don't know. Anyway you've heard of Kwan Museong and you know he's been pestering me. What else can you tell me?"

Eun young scowled and huffed a resigned sigh. "Fine…" She turned the TV off on Kibum and ignored his miffed protest. They both took chairs next to Ki who grumbled under his breath, but sat still.

"Ok smarty pants, where do you want to start?" Eun Young pouted at being called out.

"I have a list. It's the usual. People he's targeted or had beef with, people who fund him, politicians they are working with or targeting, family ties, people he socializes with, people he works with, their backgrounds, any scandals- past or present that have occurred in his church, church finances, their connections with the city and who they organize through. You know, the usual." Hakyeon handed her the half read paper. 

"Baby, my network is good, but it's not as extensive as it used to be, not enough to get all of this quickly. For reference you have more people than I do these days. I only keep it up so I can watch my back. I can't afford to be ignorant, even in retirement.

"I'm aware. Just circle what you can do and I'll work out the rest. I'm sure you already have some intel gathered though."

"Of course I do. What do you take me for? I watch over all of you very carefully."

"It's not hard to watch over me and Wookie when we live with you." Kibum teased. "I'm the easy child for once." He tried to snatch back the remote, but without looking Eun Young tossed it to Hakyeon, who just silently gloated like any bratty sibling would do. She was busy thinking over the list and what could be reasonably handled while the two grown ass men grappled over the coveted object. Neither really needed it, it was just the competitive principle of the thing. She was happy to see them interact, but they were beginning to be a little too serious with their jabs. It was when they both reached for pocket knives that she decided to intercede. 

"Boys put away the knives. There is already enough blood on my couch. Now give me the remote. Hakyeon, here is the stuff I can take care of given my network's specialties. We can do fact compiling pretty well and I've got a great IT guy that can hack their communications they use for organizing events. We have a misdirection campaign in the wings so they never have reliable meeting information. We already dug around for juicy emails and we didn't find anything. We're finishing on the profiles of key players and people we think you could pull on angle on, but it's not a big list. Their people don't really have any secrets to keep that are something that can be exploited. We can make you better political tie profiles though. I'll order that in. Same with their finances."

"I've kept track of politicians fairly well and I've already talked to the ones I'm closer with, but if you find back door deals or financial scandals send it directly to the media. Also if you come across it, I want any violence against vampires to start getting linked to the NHPS even if they aren't involved. That needs to be sent to the media too. If you can find any of the NHPS or Kwan's legit enemies or people he's targeted besides vampires send that to me so I can reach out to them."

"Okey-doke…Um…As for spies, I think I'd be spread too thin to have an on the ground human giving you real time intel. Mine are stuck to their posts at the moment."

"I'll see if I can pull any of my people." Hakyeon looked dismayed as he thought of who would be the best for undercover work. Most of their employees had maintained digression in allowing their faces to be seen, thank you winter. But this was very vulnerable work and it needed to be done during daylight too. 

"Um, sweetie…Do you want to reach out to San E? We can reason with him that if things get worse it will affect him too." Eun Young suggested timidly. 

"Yeah right, Mom. San E is more interested in limiting the night kingdom, not bailing it out of human hate crimes. He doesn't care if we look like villains." Kibum remarked dryly. 

"He would too help! If we talk to him in the sense of maintaining order and minimizing violence, you know?" Eun Young whined.

"mm, go ahead. It wouldn't hurt to ask and at least create good will by keeping him in the loop." Hakyeon blandly mused.

"Why are you two so fussy about including him?"

"Oh? I should like the guy who hasn't done shit to help us in the last hundred fifty-ish years? Hakyeon is the one that's done all of the heavy lifting on keeping our kind safe." Kibum griped. 

"Hakyeon? What about you?" Eun Young asked flatly, expecting a dismissive comment as well.

"It's just that this is a public image battle. He's good at fair ruling and strategy, but he always delegated human interactions to you. It wasn't something he enjoyed doing. He's more comfortable corralling in the rowdy vampires." Hakyeon explained. 

"Gee, vampire gangsters. Sounds like a rowdy bunch to me. Tell him to get his shit together and do that then." Key sneered. Hakyeon nodded and Eun Young acquiesced to it. 

"All of the stuff on your list, Eun Young, is aimed at basically making them look bad enough in the press so there is infighting and people get disenchanted with supporting the cause. If we try to make ourselves look good or overtly tempt them I think it would back fire so stay away from those kinds of tactics. Another strategy that occurred to me is drumming up some villains. The problem with that though is differentiating ourselves from the villains, probably gangsters since that's what they are actually worried about. Not sinful blood bars. What idiots. I need to work on that a little more so don't do anything with that angle yet." Hakyeon spouted, half more to himself than his family. 

"Yeonnie, Kibummie has been a little bored. Ki, would you like a mission?" Hakyeon cringed at her cutesy act. Not proper decorum for a cabinet strategy meeting. Nor had it ever worked on him in the first place. 

"Yes ma'am, yes please." He seemed hungry for it.

"And he'll be a good boy, won't you."

"Yes mistress."

Hakyeon scoffed. "Agh, Come on. You guys are doing that stuff again?"

"I learned some new tricks while in the DRC and I thought I would introduce them to her." Kibum replied sheepishly.

"Darling, there's nothing wrong with having a sex life." Eun Young admonished. 

"Yeah but I don't want to know about yours!" Hakyeon cried out.

"He was always so reluctant in bed." Eun Young remarked to Kibum who just gave a nonchalant hum of agreement. 

"That's because I didn't want to sleep with you guys in the first place. Can we please not go there. There will be no sex or seduction in these operations. Focus or I will leave right now. Got it? So what's your idea for Ki."

"Are there toys involved?" Kibum asked suggestively. Hakyeon gave him a dangerous warning scowl. "You know, like hacking software or gun silencers." He patted Hakyeon knee in mock sweetness. 

"So help me God…" Hakyeon mumbled.

"I was thinking about having him just lay some ground work on mapping out our villains. Like who's who and where they do their crimes and what not."

"Sure, whatever. JUST DO NOT ENGAGE. THIS IS STRICTLY SURVELIENCE, UNDERSTOOD?" Hakyeon sternly set out his condition. 

"Yes, general." 

"Engaging this way is a plan B. It's much easier when the enemy tears itself apart before it even gets to you. Plan B could very well turn into a two front war. Actually thinking about it we should probably do something with your surveillance. Make note of possible take down strategies, but think of it from the stand point of what a human is capable of. Make it so even the stupidest cop can follow what's going on. I don't want to mess with gangsters. I just want those damn protestors off my lawn. We'll make the police do their job. On that note if you see a greedy corrupt cop slinking around with gangsters that would make a nice little press story, as long as it emphasized where the bad guy is so our civilians don't get caught up in it." Hakyeon rambled, once again more to himself than his family though they would take it as guidelines to adhere to none the less. 

"Would you like us to set up some cops to take the bait for that angle?" Eun Young inquired.

"I doubt we'll have to frame any of them. Just keep an eye on them like they are a gang too." Hakyeon smirked. He always did like standing back to watch the world burn. 

Key began to whine. "So wait. I'm on gang surveillance. Eun Young, and probably Ryeowook vicariously, are working on fact finding, reports, misdirection and press. What are you doing?"

"Coordinating everything." Hakyeon teased nonchalantly. 

Kibum looked unimpressed so Hakyeon unpacked it all realizing he really did have a lot on his plate. "No really, I've people to look out for. I have the birds eye view and I control the timing in our maneuvering. I come up with the ideas and delegate. I've got to keep an eye on my staff, customers, tenants, probably spies, what you guys are doing, and keeping us ahead of the protestors. I'm the one visiting the politicians and making deals to get rid of the legislation the NHPS is pushing. Oh, and planning out Vixx's lunar new year gala. Is that sufficient?" Hakyeon rattled off as Ki shrunk into his seat with a look that said 'forget I asked'. 

"Oh right! The gala! Want to see my dress and mask? Kibum and Ryeowook have a theme going for us.-" Eun Young started chattering and Hakyeon ignored her and showed himself out as Ki turned the TV back on to drown her out. The family was a smooth team, but they drove each other nuts. He hoped it would be centuries before he had to team up with them again.

. . .

Taekwoon had tried to keep Hyuk away from seeing the protestors for as long as he could but it was only a matter of time. It was a long conversation assuaged his fears and a really basic lesson on government flowed out of that. At the meeting poor Hyuk's anxiety was flaring up because of the sheer amount of people they didn't realized lived in the building (It's size should have clued them in but everyone seemed to keep to themselves so looks were deceiving). The Vixx building tenants were a sea of nervous energy due to the situation right outside of their front door. It calmed and dispelled once Hakyeon gave his briefing which kept getting more absurd, but admittedly brilliant with each security measure explained. 

Apparently one of the trends in the 1920's was building secret passage ways. There was one that connected to the foyer area of Vixx's basement to the building behind them. For added security they were going to post a security guard in the other buildings tunnel entrance. The street level apartment access doors would be locked so you could get out but you couldn't get in.

Hyuk heard nothing else after the location of the secret passage. They were seated near the end of the row and Hyuk scampered away to explore mid-meeting. Hakyeon even stopped talking to watch the child go. Hyuk just gave him a sheepish smile and waved. It got a laugh from the crowd. 

At the next part Taekwoon was glad Hyuk had already left the room. Their brilliant idea for a perimeter guard was hanging out on the roof with water balloons. If there was violence on the street below they were supposed to start throwing and radio the coven (or in day light Vixx staff and the police) for help. They also made it a point to stress that they were supposed to stay unseen until emergency occurred. The tanks for the water balloons would be heated so they didn't turn into icy lethal weapons. They were even going to have coffee and hot chocolate up there for those that were on watch duty (as if that would be incentive for building residents to sign up for volunteering an hour or two).

It was all very elaborate, yet oddly simple. He took questions, then in groups of twenty or so took them down to see the passage. Hyuk looked like he had gotten a Christmas present and was begging Wonshik to show him the other ones. Not that he would tell Hyuk there were more. They wouldn't be secret tunnels if they told people about the others that popped up all around the city block they owned.

. . .


	34. Kiss Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm so close to 4000 (yay! OMG! It blows my mind, but I'm glad you guys are liking my story) I decided to work in a little bit of fluff to celebrate.

The prep work for Lunar New Year had gone smoothly and the watch system was working. Well it was untested since the congregation members were abiding by city rules on distance though no one seemed to be enforcing the ordinance on noise level despite prolific complaints to police. They had enough tenant volunteers to keep a round the clock watch none the less. 

The protestors were staying in line and Hakyeon was busy with quietly undermining their progress and getting rid of them. No clashes had really happened except one on campus where some guys had tried to attack a vampire. The vampire didn't fight them, simply dodging their efforts. Efforts that were caught on camera. Eun Young did her job in linking it to the NHPS, who publicly denounced the behavior and supported the university for expelling the students. They also said that they would be raising awareness on campus for what they legally could and could not do. They said they did not approve of violence and would be speaking to the groups about the morality of their conduct. Not that campus was really a hot bed of vampire violence. The real worry was the violence on the shore front from gang clashes, but no one was brave enough or stupid enough to go protest there. Instead it was in front of city hall, campus, any place that catered to vampires and any vampire run establishments, never mind that they were peaceful locals that had been there long before any of the protesters were born.

Wonshik felt oddly relaxed that night. Instead of worrying he just enjoyed the romantic atmosphere that couples were taking part in on Valentine's day. The décor was for the Lunar New Year, but it looked delicate today. The tree projections were cherry blossoms instead of green foliage. There were large bouquets all over, but they put the more obnoxiously yellow and orange flowers off in one of the nooks so as to soften things as well. There were candles that floated in round pink vases of water, a play list of love songs, flower petals everywhere (which he was not picking up, thank you very much Hakyeon), and games scattered around.

It was a cover charge night because many customers enjoyed getting their favorite feeders little gifts like fruit and chocolate and enjoyed vicariously through the recipient. Feeders were giving vampires pink roses. They also all wore subtle perfumes that could only be smelled up close so they didn't create a big mix in the air. Overall it was very relaxed and sweet. Until…

. . .

Jaehwan was sweetly helping Hani into her coat so they could slip out the back door unnoticed when Wonshik approached. "Jae, we have a problem. Someone wants to talk to you." 

"Nope, nopity, nope, nope. Tell who ever it is that I'm already gone."

"That's a really bad idea. Eun Young will drag you back here."

"What? What's so important that Eun Young is here, let alone why she wants to talk to me?"

"She's here with Kyungri."

"No…just no...fuck. Seriously?" Jaehwan whined. 

"Yep, you might want to hurry because Eun Young's doing her staring at Hakyeon shit and you know that ends badly for all of us." 

Jaehwan groan. Just before rounding the corner of the waterfall wall he gave Hani an apologetic smile and kissed her cheek. "Sorry Hani, I'll try to be quick." She trailed after him and leaned on one of the tree columns, in a place that always had perfect view of the whole lounge. 

"Kyungri, long time no see." Jaehwan greeted the pretty vampire girl with a strained smile. Trying to maintain a friendly demeanor he asked "What brings you here?" 

"I need an excuse to see my boyfriend on Valentine's Day?" She said beaming as if it was that simple then yanked him into a passionate kiss. Alarmed he did his best to extricate himself. 

"Woah, hold up. Boyfriend? We haven't talked to each other for the last, what, twenty something years." He said in shock. 

"I know, but I miss you. I wish you would stop ignoring me. I did try to call you several times over the years but you never pick up." (Thank God caller ID was a thing by then.)

"Yeah I did that on purpose. We aren't a thing anymore."

"We could be though, I mean you're not seeing anyone are you?"

"As a matter of fact I am and I have plans. I need to go." 

"Jaehwan, how could you? Why are you doing this to me? I've been waiting this whole time. Do you even remember why we stopped talking in the first place?" 

"Hakyeon, save me." Jaehwan pleaded to the vampire sitting in one of the nooks with his maker. He had an apologetic frown and motioned to Eun Young. He couldn't. She had given him a direct command to shut up and sit still. Jaehwan rolled his eyes "Oh right…...Wonshik!" 

"I believe it was something to do with her getting jealous about something, like you were talking to another girl and Kyungri got mad and went overboard on getting rid of her." Wonshik filled in the gap.

"See, that! Goodbye." He only made it a few steps before Kyungri called out. "But I did it because I love you. Whoever this new girl is I'll behave and I won't hurt her. Please, I know I can make you happier than she can."

"I'm perfectly happy so that's a big fat no thanks." He said over his shoulder while still making his way over to Hani. 

"Since when-" Taekwoon murmured. It was supposed to come out as 'since when have you been dating?' but Hani didn't stay to hear the rest of his question. "What the fuck dude, of course I'm happy. You didn't even know I was dating until about two sec-" Jaehwan just caught a glimpse of Hani's coat and ran after her in a storm of worried profanities. 

It was dead quiet and tense for a few moments before Jackson decided the solution was to yell "Hey! Someone play the pepero game with me!" There was chaos as he chased people into playing and retaliation was throwing handfuls of petals at him. Wonshik was definitely not picking this crap up.

. . .

"So, um…How's the popcorn?" Jaehwan tried again nervously.

"Don't talk to me. I'm only here because I actually wanted to see this movie." Hani replied venomously. 

"I swear I didn't know sh-"

"What did I just say?" She shut him down with a cold look and he trailed off just as the previews started. He forgot several times that night that Hani was furious with him and was determined to bleed his wallet dry in revenge. Before coming to the theater she even made him go to a jewelry store. She got a silver necklace that had a leaf pendant set with emeralds. She wanted to make Jaehwan buy a silver necklace too but he got out of it by saying if he got a titanium one he could wear it forever and always to show that he would always be hers. Taking it literally she made him get a titanium choker necklace that was connected in the front by a hexagonal pendant. She had asked the store clerk for something that she could thread dog ID tags through later and the cut out pattern in the pendant was perfect. 

The whole night was torture and Jaehwan was glad she just wanted to be taken home after the movie. Upon entering Vixx she stormed up the stairs. Jaehwan went over to Hakyeon with a kicked puppy look to get sympathy. The boss cradled his melancholy coven member for a while before asking about his new accessory. "She said she was going to bleed me dry for being a terrible boyfriend. She just meant my wallet. I don't think she knows how hard that would be. I bought her a necklace tonight. The one she picked out is really pretty. Too bad it's silver." Hakyeon gave the collar a light tug to check if it was doing anything malicious to Jaehwan's skin. "Don't worry, she had a better idea than torturing me with silver. I guess she's going to put dog ID tags on it that say property of Hani." 

"Aw, I'm sorry Jae." Hakyeon coddled. 

"I think I might be a slave again." Hakyeon eyes widened, surprised that the former slave would let that happen and curious as to how his coven member felt about it. Jaehwan didn't say anything though and shuffled off to mope downstairs. 

. . .

"Wonshik, um, could you do me a favor?" Hani had come back to the lounge to help with day time party logistics and it seemed like a good time to catch Wonshik before Lunar New Year chaos began. 

He smiled warmly. "Yes, I can do your weigh in's for you."

"Ah, Thanks." She said brightly but still a little sheepish. She twisted at her fingers wanting to ask about more but unsure how to put it.

"And no, nobody blames you. And yes, I'll keep Jae from trying to sing you apologetic love ballads." 

Hani snickered "He does that?"

"Unfortunately. It's embarrassing for all parties." He said with a warm smirk. 

Hani still hovered by Wonshik but he was out of guesses. "Um, Wonshik do you think that I'm…safe from her?" She asked insecurely. 

"Hah, yeah, she's all bark and no bite."

"Even though she beat a girl up?" she said flatly.

"She didn't actually beat anyone up. She tried to get the girl fired and Jaehwan was furious since the girl didn't do anything wrong. They were just coworkers talking about coworker stuff. Kyungri had been getting kind of paranoid because she and Jae were drifting apart. They had been an on again off again thing since the war and I think that round had been doomed to fail before it even began."

"So he didn't cheat?"

"No, he's never cheated. But even after the incident he stayed far away from that employee so that no one got the wrong idea. He was worried about what Kyungri might do to the girl but Kyungri stormed off to Milan and never did anything to her. So if you're wondering about if he's the type that cheats, he's not. He'll always be straight forward with you." 

"So you think I'm mad over nothing?" She asked in a grumbly tone, though not with any hostility toward the vampire.

"Oh, I didn't say that. He's an idiot. I'm not sure about your taste in men." He poked at her and she finally lightened up. "It's weird to think that they had stopped being a thing just before you were born."

"It sounds creepy when you say it that way." Hani chided. She started to walk away to chastise Jackson about missing a cluster of rose petals and pepero crumbs, but Wonshik had one more thing. 

"Hani, next time, if there is a next time, get him the silver collar. He'd wear it if you wanted him to. Like I said, he's an idiot."

"I can't tell if you are being serious or not." 

Wonshik just chuckled. "As funny as the thought of him doing it is, he would do just about anything to make you happy." Hani grinned like a shy school girl and softly giggled. 

"Well if that's the case want to help me pick out dog tags?" Wonshik gave her a thumbs up, cackling too much to give her vocal confirmation. 

. . .

Vixx had taken on a very festive atmosphere. On the ceiling a projected sparkling dragon did figure eights and swirls, letting off gold sparks if it flicked a snappy turn. The tree columns had spirals of red velvet wrapped around them and gold hanging decorations that wished luck and prosperity. Gold vases of flowers- peonies, chrysanthemums, lilies, azaleas, marigolds, orchids, peach blossoms, pussy willow, even pineapple flower and lucky bamboo in the bigger arrangements were artfully strewn about. Red lanterns were hung on the columns of nooks and prolifically in the front entry hall. There was origami scenery of that year's zodiac animal there as well. 

It was a good time to let the boys run off some of that clumsy energy before guest started showing up. Everyone avoided the raised walkways that bordered the main expanse of the lounge in favor of it becoming a race track for the small, roaring, yellow lion dance costume. Lion impressions even comically emanated from the rear of the creature. Sungjae didn't care that he was taking a turn being the butt. They had a deal to trade off every fifteen minutes.

From the safety of the waterfall wall Hakyeon flicked open a paper fan and smirked "Now I'm feeling the holiday spirit." 

Hongbin came to stand next to him with a sheepish doubtful look. "Am I wearing this right?" 

"Mm hm, it looks very right. You look delicious."

"I'm going to ignore that. But doesn't this hanfu type thing traditionally get worn right up to the neck?" All of the feeders were wearing outfits that had similar looks, but little differences in cut or detail or color hue. The formal wear was a splice between traditional Asian clothing styles and modern touches to show off more of their shoulders and necks. Their bronzy masks complimented the look well. 

"Doesn't matter. You're making me hungry, Hongbin. Come here." Hakyeon flashed him a sly smile and Hongbin just glared at him flatly before tipping his head to the side obediently. Hakyeon shifted the collar even wider and took a couple gulps, followed by his customary smooch.

"Eww, Hakyeon's being gross again." Hyuk loudly grumbled as the eight year old's came to a stop next to them. Sungjae was fighting with the fabric to poke his head out. "He is?"

"He's kissing people again." Hyuk explained. 

"Are you guys a couple?" Sungjae asked the adults with confusion.

"No!" Hongbin denied incredulously. "He does that to everyone. I'm not special. I would never want to date him."

"Hey, why are you making it sound like it would be such a bad thing to be my boyfriend? I'm quite charming you know, good boyfriend material."

"More like a cringy grandpa. I'm leaving before this gets more convoluted."

"What's convoluted mean?" Sungjae whispered to Hyuk.

"I don't know. It hasn't been a big word of the day yet. Hakyeon." Hyuk looked at the adult expectantly. Hakyeon got the feeling he was being ordered to supply meaning. 

Exasperated he sighed. "It's like something is ridiculous or more complicated than it needs to be."

"Oh, so…You?" Hyuk deadpanned. 

"Leave before I decide you guys need kisses too." They screeched and ran away, lion dance costume flapping about clumsily as Sungjae tried to get under it again for protection.

Jaehwan was already milling about in the lounge and made cute grabby hands at Hakyeon. "Yeonnie! I need kisses!" Hakyeon rolled his eyes and blew him a kiss which Hani pretended to catch and tear up. Jaehwan fearfully looked at her expression and back pedaled. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. I was just being cute. You-" Hani kissed him to shut him up and left his side with a sultry smirk. He melted looking very satisfied and moony eyed at his girlfriend. He didn't see it coming when Wonshik roughly planted a kiss on his cheek before running away giggling like a naughty kid. Taekwoon silently walked past while putting on his mask and kissed his own hand before lightly slapping Jaehwan's other cheek. The doctor was looking more and more offended by the second. Jin had just finished setting out New Year's-y food and drinks in one of the nooks for the humans. With his hands free now he could try to man handle Jaehwan so he could try to kiss him somewhere on his face. "Never mind! I don't need any more kisses!" He redacted in his struggle to gently but firmly dislodge his coworker.


	35. Invisible Fire

For all the love they had for the holiday the Vixx coven didn't enjoy the part where all three of them had to stand near the entrance and welcome guests for what felt like decades, though usually most people arrived within the first two hours and they usually followed the royal entourage into the party once they arrived. Normally they stood near the front counter, but with the protestors they thought it might be better to meet people right outside the door. As well, two of Wonshik's old war underlings had agreed to take up a welcoming/ guard post throughout the rest of the night and they stood there with them as they shook hands and ignored the crowd's jeers and protests. 

As prearranged, but fashionably late Eun Young, Hakyeon's brothers and her feeder arrived accompanied by San E, his three children and two of his oldest lieutenants who were probably also acting as body guards. In amusement San E congenially waved to the congregation which received lots of boos. "Cute" He remarked, completely unfazed by the display. The Vixx coven traded looks, but said nothing about it. They bowed and greeted the prestigious guests who returned the gesture warmly, putting aside formality given the family ties. As the others filtered in San E pulled Hakyeon off to the side, still surveying the protestors. "So this is your little problem Eun Young spoke of."

"Yes, but at this point they are just noise. They don't know it yet, but I've set up political safe guards so they can't get any legislation passed."

"I see."

"You're loving this aren't you?"

"I like humans. It's nice to see them defending themselves."

"That's an illusion. Our people aren't the real problem, but I'm sure Ki has already told you."

"And I told him I don't have to answer to him. I take care of things my own way." 

"Forgive my asking, but what way is that? They are being preyed on by gangs."

"I don't have to answer to you either Hakyeon. Don't worry, I'll make sure you know to back off if you accidentally interfere with my operations." He assured him with a cryptic smile and put his arm around the prince's shoulders to walk them in. 

. . .

"Is it just me or is it more packed than prior years?" Suho asked the group refueling at the food table. They needed it since there were so many vampires that wanted a chomp. 

"There are a lot of people I don't remember seeing before." Sunggyu concurred.

"Are they young vampires then?" Taekwoon asked over a mouthful of dumpling.

"Could be." Hongbin mused. "They are either new and looking for asylum, or they are outside groups trying to kiss asses to get on San E's good side."

"True, but impolite."

"Dongwoo! Sungyeol! What are you idiots here for?" Sunggyu crowed teasingly as he moved to hug each. 

"Party, duh. Idiot." Dongwoo countered. 

"Really? Are you sure it's not to be bootlickers?" Hongbin threw in.

"Again, rude! We don't have to do any ass kissing. Hakyeon and Woohyun already took care of the hoops so we're adopted into the old night kingdom community." Sungyeol informed them. 

"Where is Woohyun anyway?" Suho jumped in.

Both vampires pointed to a nook across the room where the royal entourage was slowly receiving a long line of well-wishers. "Being attacked by Ki." Sure enough the same age vampire was being crushed in a hug as if he were Kibum's oversized doll. He looked disgruntled, but just passively allowed it as Kibum conversed with their subjects. 

"Never mind the fact that we saw him yesterday." Sungyeol pointed out dryly. Taekwoon whimpered and scooted behind Hongbin once he caught sight of Hakyeon's psychotic brother. However he was distracted when Hyuk and Sungjae ran up, Sungjae being the head now. "Rawr! The lion demands fa gao or else you will have a terrible year!"

"How many have you had already?" Taekwoon asked dryly. 

"Um…um…I don't know?" He tried.

"That means you've had too many. Nice try. Go be entertaining elsewhere oh greedy lion." Taekwoon mirthfully denied. Sungjae grumbled, but Hyuk just laughed at him saying "Told ya so!" and pushed him away, roaring that people make way for the ferocious beast. It was cute to watch, but it suddenly made Taekwoon uneasy knowing there were so many vampires they didn't know there. It made him glad the kids were wearing blaringly bright yellow at the very least. The table was starting to get crowded so Taekwoon grabbed one more yau gok and trailed after them. 

It was only a couple minutes later that someone took Hyuk and Sungjae by the hand and lead them over to the royal entourage. He damn near had a heart attack before realizing they were just talking with the woman who must be Eun Young. He came to casually lean on the tree column behind them to watch. 

The same guy that led the boys over coldly asked Taekwoon "Do you need something?" As if he was in the way and had no right being that close.

"No, but I'm that one's guardian and that one's chaperone." He whispered with a hint of challenge in his voice.

"Ah" The entourage guard said embarrassed but too macho to look it. 

. . .

"Ah, so you are the vampire child I've heard so much about." The important looking lady cooed. 

"Um, yeah, I guess." Hyuk confirmed sheepishly. Forever the ham, Sungjae gave her a toothy smile and proclaimed "Nah, it's actually me."

"hm, You smell very human though, young man." The man next to her playfully reproached him. 

"Oh, yeah…" Sungjae replied bashfully. Both of them were fidgeting. It was awkward being placed in front of the adults without knowing what they expected of you. Eun Young didn't seem to mind and introduced herself. "I'm Hakyeon's maker." She then clarified and tacked on. "And this is San E. He's Wonshik's maker."

"What are your names?" San E asked conversationally.

"I'm Sungjae"

"I'm Hyuk" They each gave a timid wave.

"It's nice to meet you two. Are you guys having fun? I've enjoyed watching you be a lion." They nodded, their confidence ebbing away the longer they were being stared at. 

"And are you his feeder? You seem awfully young for that." San E teased, but the boys blanched. Eun Young smacked his arm in disapproval.

"No, no, no he's just my friend. I only get blood from the Vixx people." Hyuk explained.

"My brothers say that I'm too weird to be a feeder." Sungjae added.

"Yeah, Minhyuk said you would lick people back."

"So?" Sungjae countered. It got a snicker out of all those around. 

"Do you both live here at Vixx?" San E asked, reining in his laugh to keep composed and friendly.

"No, just me. Sungjae lives with his family in my old apartment building."

"Do you live down stairs with the coven?" He continued.

"No, I live upstairs with Taekwoon."

San E's head tipped to the side "Who?" Hyuk turned around to point him out and beamed to see him leaning on the tree column right behind him, mask slung around his neck now. "That's Taekwoon. He's my..." He stopped not knowing what word to use. Taekwoon was about to help him and say guardian, but Sungjae was faster on the draw. 

"Like his new dad or something, right?" Hyuk froze for a second, blanking on how to feel about the word. 

"Adoptive guardian. We used to be neighbors and I took him in after he was turned. It's a long story." Hyuk looked grateful for the smoothing out. 

"No, it's not. I can make it short." Sungjae tried to correct him.

"Well, more like it's a story for a different time." Taekwoon salvaged. There was only so much the royals needed to know when they were just casually getting acquainted. He was really tempted to offer Sungjae more fa gao to shut him up. The adults quizzed them some more. Like what games did they like to play or with what toys. The most obvious one for them was legos and video games. They liked cartoons and Hyuk liked reading and they talked about all the books he got for Christmas and how Sungjae was mad neither of them got nerf guns for Christmas and that Hakyeon was mean for taking theirs away. A lot of people toward the end of the line were giving up on getting to pay their respects to their sovereigns of old, or were just as enwrapped of attention as Eun Young was. It had been a long time since she had been around children and was fascinated with the bizarre descriptions of toys she hadn't kept up with. 

When the boys had offered to bring her some examples or for her to come up to see Hyuk's room, Taekwoon was glad Hakyeon interrupted to tell them that a show was about to start and they should say goodbyes. As the lights dimmed Taekwoon scooped up both boys to take them to a spot where they would sit still or be contained at the very least. The dance performance was enchanting and flashy enough with acrobatics that even the boys appreciated it. It was followed by a troupe playing traditional Chinese instruments. It was harder to get the kids to sit still for that so he let them quietly play games on his phone. 

By the end it was fifteen minutes to midnight. San E and Eun Young rose and took to their stage area and knelt to sit on two large pillows. Taekwoon couldn't hear it very well from where he was sitting, but he watched as the Vixx coven crouched into a full bow for what it seemed as a new year's blessing said over them. The most he could make out was that it was symbolic for the different aspects of the vampire war treaty; Wonshik representing San E's soldiers, Hakyeon representing Eun Young's forces and Jaehwan representing the treaty itself (given that he was the one who mediated it). He heard whispering nearby amongst two vampires who thought someone named Microdot should be playing his role, not sitting off to the side and shoving it off on Wonshik every year. Apparently Microdot was San E's eldest and the general on their side and Wonshik was only mid ranking. That was splitting hair though really, at least to Taekwoon. This world was a little foreign to him. They finished up their little ceremony around three minutes to midnight and the royals returned to their spots from earlier. The lights stayed dimmed as the dragon on the ceiling was circling a large intricate clock showing the time. 

Jaehwan was quick to get the kids party poppers and kazoos (which Taekwoon made a mental note to 'accidentally' throw away.) It seemed like the universe was out to get him when they were surrounded by girls -feeders and vampires alike- who teased Taekwoon that he should pick one of them to kiss at midnight. The boys were already snatched up and being teased with kissy faces. Youngji had a hold on Sungjae and to contend with vampiric strength Minah had Hyuk wrapped up. Eunji laid claim to Taekwoon by the same method and told the other girls they could have him next year. He was blushing so badly by the time the countdown started. 

At seven seconds though there was a rushed yelling of GET DOWN, BOMB, GET DOWN!! Taekwoon pushed the group standing around him down into the closest nook and a second later there was a loud boom from the front hall. It was hard to hear for a moment, but everyone in the nook looked all right, just rattled and rubbing at their eyes. Both boys were crying but mostly unhurt. Hyuk had some odd looking burns on the back of his forearms and hands, but not lethal. When he turned to look at the lounge that's when it all clicked. It only effected vampires. The humans were stunned, but otherwise unharmed. 

Vampire soldiers were securing the entrances. A few more were working fire extinguishers in the front hall. Jaehwan was attending to vampires that looked like they were still lit by some invisible fire. He was calling the able bodied to move them to the walk in freezer in the kitchen for darkness and chill and telling Jin which salves to get from his work station. 

"akoo, taekwoo, TAEKWOON." Eunji finally got his attention over his temporary deafness. She had to shout. "We should take Hyuk and Minah to the back to get some salve. We've only got minor burns, but they hurt like hell." Taekwoon nodded and picked up Hyuk who tearfully latched onto him. Sungjae had an iron grip on Taekwoon's hand until he saw his brothers who fell to their knees to hold him. Taekwoon saw Minhyuk whisper a stricken thank you to him and he nodded back. 

Whoever the sick fuck was that tossed the flash bomb into Vixx had a very grotesque sense of humor. 

. . .

The roof top volunteer shuddered as she explained. The protestors had kept back. A lone guy had come from down the street and walked up to the entrance and was stopped by the two vampires stationed up front. She didn't know if she should throw a balloon or not, but she radioed Wonshik (who had intuitively called bomb to warn the crowd). She heard something being thrown through the glass and the next thing she knew she couldn't see. She called for one of the other volunteers to get the police on the phone. She felt horrible for not acting faster. It took a lot to reassure her there was nothing else she could have done and that what she did was exactly right. 

The protestors were quite shocked and equally blind as well. It didn't seem like their work. Even Preacher Kwan approached Hakyeon, expressing condolences and assuring him violence was not acceptable to their people. They would help in whatever way they could. It seemed pretty shallow to Hakyeon though. He thanked him and resumed answering police questions, delegating commands and seeing to shaken guests. A coroner came to take away the bodies of the two soldiers who had been burned to a crisp in the flash of light (thankfully there were no more casualties). The cops seemed disbelieving that a flash bomb could be that powerful. They thought it was just sun light. "Imagine someone took a tanning bed and made a bomb out of it" Hakyeon explained. It was frustrating to watch the cops just meandering around instead of doing something productive to catch the guy, but ultimately it kept them out of the way for their people to do the work.

It was eating Hakyeon on how to handle it. If they dragged the man back to the police they wouldn't accept the reason was that they could tell by smell. They would have to rush an investigation and put it together so that they had no choice but to prosecute. And he wouldn't feel bad about sending this guy to a slow death in prison. This was a whole different level of malicious. But if San E's guys got to him first, the perpetrator would disappear; tortured, interrogated and left to die in some secret hole. Hakyeon doubted San E would give him the courtesy of sharing the information he got. 

Hakyeon was stuck dealing with cops and guests until dawn was coming up on the horizon. Even then there were many guests who were staying in his apartment either needing Jaehwan's medical attention or still too shaken up to feel safe yet. One by one hunting parties reported that the trail ran cold on them. Maybe when Yoongi was up he could have him use power of attorney to go look at some local CCTV cams. 

. . .

"Taekwoon…are we safe?" Hyuk whispered, interrupting Taekwoon's humming. They were curled up on Taekwoon's bed after failed attempts at sleeping even though they were both very tired. Hyuk's arms had been salved and bandaged and he would probably be completely recovered by the next night, but it still stung like a severe sunburn. Taekwoon contemplated before answering. 

"I think so. I think as long as we're careful when we're outside of Vixx we're safe too. They are having the front hall fixed today and it will be stronger than before."

"What if they come back with a bigger bomb?"

"hm…I don't know. There are a lot of things we can't foresee. That's life though. It's scary that there are no guarantees, but if we only think of the what-if's all the time we would miss out on enjoying life. I think we can only take precautions and then keep doing what we do normally. What do you think?"

"What if the bad guys got a monster truck and drove it through Vixx during the day or what if they set Vixx on fire?"

"Well, the walls are really solid brick. You can't set brick on fire so we're fine. And they would need a lot more than a monster truck to make it past the all the layers of wall. They can't knock the building over with that. If they tried to use anything bigger we would see it coming."

"What if they had a tank?"

"You can't have a tank in the city. They would get stopped long before they could ever get here."

"What iiiiiffff they had a drill. Like a big one?"

"That only happens in cartoons."

"What iiifff they drilled trough the secret tunnel?"

"The roof volunteers would see them do it remember? We'd get plenty of warning. The cops would come long before then."

"What iiiifff they knocked out Donnie or Connie and snuck in and broke all the windows? Or they got a catapult and start throwing bombs through the windows that way?"

"Again, we would see them before they could get a catapult set up and the call the cops. And I wouldn't want to take on Defcon or Hyeongdon. They are pretty tough security guards. They know what they are doing. Any other what if's?"

"What iiiifff-…iiifff they got a bazooka?"

"How would they get a bazooka?"

"I don't know. Where do bad guys get bazookas from?"

"I don't know either. But I think the chances of that really, really low. Like you would probably have more of a chance ooofffff…eating fifty cakes in a row than someone getting a bazooka anywhere near here. So we're safe."

"I could probably think of something if I was a bad guy."

"I'm glad you aren't then….does all of that help?"

"I guess."

"Any more questions or can I try to sleep?"

"But I can't sleep."

"Well, it's your turn to sing to me. Do that instead." It wasn't long before they were both zonked out. 

. . .


	36. Spies

Wonshik fiddled with a marigold as he stared at the flowers he had just set out near the front doors in memorial to his underlings. "Tav, Zurgaa, I'm sorry I dragged you into this." He mumbled to no one in particular. The protestors were gone tonight and the silence seemed to echo. He stuck crosses with their names in the middle of the squat vases and returned inside. He walked up to Hakyeon and tucked the marigold behind his ear before resting his head on the opposite shoulder. "m' tired."

"I'm sure." Hakyeon replied while holding his coven mate. "Maybe we should take the night off. Just not open tonight. No one would blame us." Wonshik nodded in agreement. 

"Here, I'll go stick a note on the door and lock it back up and you text the staff. But let them know if they need anything to come knock. I'm sure a lot of them are running anemic right now."

They intercepted Jaehwan on his way up and returned to the basement. Their day light stay guests were filtering out into the night so they were alone soon enough. It seemed like now that there was quiet there wasn't really much to do anymore, all the clean-up done, orders given, arrangements made. It felt very empty. 

As tired as Hakyeon was, his mind wouldn't slow down. Toward the end of the night he ended up calling Eun Young to use her as a bouncing board so he could stop chewing on speculation. 

"Hey Eun Young. I called because I think we need to broaden our scope a bit. We've been too focused on the politically inclined groups. I'm sure there are other groups that encourage violence on vampires. I want a list of them."

"I was thinking the same thing last night. Here are the ones I've dug up already. I'm sure there are more, but they don't advertise or have an arrest record. There is a rumored one called the Infinitum, but they're a really hard to get sleeper cell type organization. I'm not seeing any way to find them. There's the Order of Artemis, a bunch of pretentious meatheads who patrol the nightclub scene looking for vampires that want a victim. They think of themselves as hunters obviously. There's the Helsing family, but they are more Eastern Europe based. 

"Anyone with access to the kind of bomb components we saw the other night?"

"I don't really know. You said something like weaponized tanning bed. I don't know what goes into that."

"Ki might be able to figure it out. Little pyromaniac. You had more?"

"Yeah, there's one call Take Back The Night. They are the group at the university that got in trouble for trying to beat up Dong Jun."

"He probably thought it was funny knowing him." 

"I don't doubt it. Then we've also got a group call Bad Blood Brotherhood. They're the group that tried to Gatling gun some vampires back in the 1970's. They might be retired because there hasn't been anything out of them since the early 2000's. And last, the one I have a hunch on, from what I can see is just one guy with an arrest record that has a career in welding. Welding torches are pretty bright so maybe it's something." 

"Can you send me a list of lone people with arrest records that might stick out?"

"It's a long list. Might take me some time to sift through it."

"That's fine. Maybe have Ki and Ryeowook take breaks from surveillance just to check up on promising leads."

"Will do."

"Also has San E replied on anything he may have found out?"

Eun Young let out a defeated sigh "No, he's claiming he doesn't have anything and is acting supportive. I mean he means the supportive part, but I doubt he's going to let me in on anything. Like you said he doesn't have any human relations stuff he wants me to do."

"Ah, yeah, I'm sor-"

Wonshik poked his head into the library where Hakyeon was talking looking like a worried puppy. 

"Sorry, well that's the only ideas I have at the moment. Thanks Eun Young." After getting off the phone he turned to Wonshik and leaned his forehead against the younger's. "Just brainstorming on some leads."

"All done?"

"Yup"

"Good, come soak with me and Jae. I want a shoulder massage." Wonshik insisted with a weak smile. Walking down the hall to the bathroom with the extra big tub Hakyeon murmured "Wonshik, you can cry over them you know."

"It was drilled into us back then that you can't cry over soldiers who died in the line of duty. We found out we were at war against an unknown enemy yesterday so that makes them soldiers again. Great way to start the new year, huh? This stuff is much bigger than we thought."

"Wonshik…"

"I understand things are different these days. I'll mourn, but I can't get myself to cry over this one." 

"Alright…"

. . .

After a night of processing and getting over the shock the Vixx coven decided not to wallow and get back to it. So did over a hundred protestors. All the staff came to the staff meeting. Customers trickled in. It was like the bombing was just a bad dream. 

Hakyeon looked over the list of feeders who could work and who needed to take time off to regenerate their red blood cells. Because of the half night most of the feeders were still in decent shape. Jinyoung, Sally, Hana, Minhyuk, Hongbin, Suho, Sojin all needed to be taken off the schedule for three or so weeks to get their blood built back up though. It gave him an idea. He did wanted to plant spies after all. 

"I know it's a big undertaking. Please don't feel pressured to do this, but is it anything anyone would be interested in?" He asked the feeders gathered in his office. 

"What would we have to do?" Jinyoung asked with trepidation.

"Depends on where you're stationed. I want to take a deeper look at the campus groups, especially Take Back the Night so that would be undercover work by joining them. I think there will be some individuals that I'll want to do some day time surveillance on so that would require stakeouts and tailing. And of course there is always the NHPS. Those are less risky. The more risky ones are going undercover to monitor or join two of the more radical groups that have criminal records. There's this organization called Order of Artemis, where you would probably play vampire bait. They would get violent with vampires so that's something you would might have to witness if you go undercover to search them. There is another one, the bad blood brotherhood, where it would be you hanging out with some prejudice senior citizens. That one is dangerous because they've had access to weapons in the past, so you'd have to really be on guard."

"I guess I could try doing the campus one. Probably better me than Eunkwang since his theater stuff is kicking up and he shouldn't get his image mixed up in that kind of thing." Minhyuk shrugged. He looked like he was uncomfortable and trying to hide it. 

"Thanks Minhyuk, if you feel like it's too much you can stop at any time. That goes for all of you."

"I can do the NHPS thing. This is embarrassing, but my aunt is in it. She doesn't know I work here. My parents told her I've been bar tending this whole time since my mom's side of the family is so anti vamp. Maybe I can act like I lost my job and see if she will get me a hook up." Sojin suggested.

"That would be perfect." Hakyeon beamed. It was lining up better than he thought.

"If I have a partner I'll do it…if it's not too dangerous." Sally volunteered timidly, slightly emboldened by Sojin 's involvement. 

"Certainly. That's a good idea." Hakyeon encouraged.

"I'll go with Sally." Hana volunteered. 

"Would you guys like to help Minhyuk scope out the campus groups? If they come up dry we can put you on surveillance or you could start volunteering with the NHPS and going to their church."

The girls traded conferring looks and nodded. "Sounds good." 

"Well, I'll have nothing better to do. I could do some stuff." Jinyoung caved. 

"Same" Hongbin echoed.

"I'm willing to give it a go." Suho said with a meek smile.

"Do you guys want to give the two dicer options a try." Hakyeon ventured. They gave him insecure nods. "Excellent. Like I said you can stop at any time. Shall we do some undercover 101? Let me get you some paper, you'll probably want to take notes."

. . . 

With enough of Eun Young's intel and planning in place, it was time to get their spies into the field. There were only a few things left to be taken care of and one was-

"Oh fucking hell, it is gross in here." Hongbin groaned as he dropped his duffle bag.

"I forgot how long it's been since we used this safe house." Wonshik grimaced as he trailed his finger over the thick layer of dust on the kitchen counter. "Actually, we probably haven't used it since we modernized the kitchen."

The girls stood at the door, not wanting to venture into their counterpart's new abode. "Please tell me ours isn't this bad. It smells musty in here." Hana requested assurance with a twisted face. 

"Hakyeon has used yours as neutral ground to meet with politicians in the past so it's nice and fresh. But it's a one bedroom you all have to share. This one is a three bedroom. They get space, but obviously there is a bit of a tradeoff." Wonshik glanced at the boys apologetically. 

"Will we even be able to get wifi in here?" Jinyoung grumbled as he skeptically inspected the ancient refrigerator that seemed to be running with an off-beat hum.

"Oh hush, that's easy to arrange. I'll let you guys do that for yourselves. Charge household expenses to this card. You may want to decorate in your free time so use the card for that too." Hakyeon said, ending with a cringe as he eyed the horribly outdated look of the place. 

"Can we replace the carpet? Not knocking the style, but-" Minhyuk hit it a bit and dust clouds came up.

"Let's do hard floors." Hakyeon agreed with a wince. 

"I'll call a maid crew in the morning." Suho said with a concerned grimace. 

"Chill rich boy. We can do our own cleaning. Here take the card and go get cleaning supplies from the corner store." Jinyoung mocked lightly. 

Suho moped. "But I hate cleaning. I'll pay for it."

"Oh no you don't. You better start getting used to chores bro. Who knows what other kind of dirty work you'll have to do anyway." Hongbin stipulated dryly. He put his arm around Jinyoung 's shoulder and they both stared down the pouty roommate with threatening expressions.

"Can we get a dishwasher?" Minhyuk interrupted, not paying any mind to his new flat mates' antics. 

"I suppose." Hakyeon replied with an unbothered shrug. 

"What about us? Can we decorate?" Sally pipped up.

"No. Your place is up to date, bills are paid and everything is stocked. Bunk beds have already been dropped off. Besides it's already pretty."

"mmrg, bummer. Trade you!" Sally offered the boys.

"I'm good here. I don't want to get crammed into a small room with three other dudes." Hongbin turned her down.

The group of spies started trying to negotiate who was to room where and Wonshik pulled Hakyeon off to the side. "We're going to come back and this place will be a luxury apartment at this rate." he whispered.

"May as well let them. They'll need a stress reliever. It will give them an anchor point for all the unfamiliar situations they'll be facing." Hakyeon replied in the same hushed tone.

"Yes, but you have a hard time letting other people decorate. Your tastes are very specific. You really think YOU can handle it?"

"Oh shut up. I won't be living here anytime soon, so it's not my problem if it looks like a frat house for now." Hakyeon countered pointedly. It made Wonshik chuckle.

"Ok, rich boy." He teased. "But can we do their briefing somewhere less dusty? There are some dead flies on that window sill and it's freaking me out."

"Wow, you're such a baby. Go take the sheets off the furniture and I'll get rid of the bugs."

"If I find any spiders I will scream."

"Then just don't look very closely." Hakyeon teased back, pleased in managing to get a horrified look from his coven mate. When the furniture was cleaned off to a useable point the vampires gathered their nascent spies over. 

"Ok kiddos, assignment time. Minhyuk, Sally and Hana today go to campus and show the girls around. You three go look at the locations where those campus groups meet so you have an idea of the layouts, go over the schedules, decide if it's better to have the girls fake being students or perspective students and what your relationship to each other is. If it's not going to work let me know, I've got some surveillance posts I can put you on. 

Sojin you're scheduled to hang out with your aunt today? Is there anyone in your family that knows you work for vampires?"

"My parents do, but they'll keep quiet. They understand."

"Ok, good. Remember you want to talk the talk, but not to the point where you seem like you've suddenly radicalized your world view on vampires. You could say you lost your job because of a vampire. Also it might work best to show interest in getting involved with the NHPS before you mention 'losing' your job, just so it doesn't look like you are just desperately fishing for a new job. Have a fake back up job that doesn't sound like a good option to your aunt."

"Like I have a friend that could get me a job tending bar at a strip club." Sojin supplied.

"Yeah, I'm sure that would do the trick. That will get her more proactive about helping you. Ok, that leaves you three." Hakyeon turned to Hongbin, Jinyoung and Suho and laid out profiles in front of them on the coffee table.

"Today I'll have you scoping out these known members of the bad blood brotherhood. Take a look at their habits to see if there are any ways you could interact with them on a regular basis. These three are at the same nursing home. One of you see if they have any job openings there and try to apply. If not send in someone else in with flowers to visit their grandma with Alzheimer's. Shouldn't be hard to find a spacy old lady that would be happy to have such a good looking grandson. That can give you an opening to see how functional these three are. Today is more or less just fact gathering and getting a feel for the lay of the land so to speak.

When everyone gets home from their assignments give me a call and we'll work out the next steps. In the meantime remember, don't go to Vixx and stay away from people that would blow your cover. You don't know any vampires. You don't like vampires. They are blood thirsty killers that need to be dealt with. Any questions?"

. . .

Tonight was different from the other nights. Hyuk was sitting in the lounge but the walls and the ceiling were gone, open to the midnight stars. He sat on the face of a frozen, familiar looking clock. A dragon circled it and he felt like it was his only safety barrier. Just in front of the clock stood his mother; bloody, angry and mouthing words as usual. As usual he tried to speak, but couldn't. What was different tonight is that there were many of her. There were a few of her among the face-less protestors. The shadows on top of the surrounding buildings were her too. The noxious bad medicine smell wafted on the breeze. For some reason the mom copy in front of him was carrying a canaster of some sort and in a snap she tossed it toward his clock. The dragon caught it in his jaws and swallowed it, then screeched and writhed as if it was lit by an invisible fire. It quickly burned to ash and his clock dissolved. Suddenly he was standing outside of the front doors of Vixx. His mother's rage built to a point of unbearable. He frantically tried to open the doors that were locked. He was roughly yanked away from behind. This slammed him awake almost feeling as if he was thrown into a sitting position. He felt nauseous and overheated so he ventured to the living room to find the draft near the window seat.

That's where Taekwoon found him at sunset, blankly staring at the side of the bookshelf. He warily snapped his fingers in front of Hyuk's face after he didn't respond to his name being called. It wasn't a deep catatonic state because that did the trick.

"Hey bud, what's up?" Taekwoon asked, taking a seat with Hyuk on the window seat.

"Nightmare" The young vampire replied in a sleepy rasp.

"You didn't come hang out with me?"

"I felt too hot and there's some coldness that gets through the bottom of the window. Is it time to get ready for the night?"

"Yeah, it's time to get up…um, Hyukkie. Did this nightmare have anything to do with lunar new year's?"

"…there was stuff there, but it wasn't the scary part. She…she was here this time…she's never come here before…" Hyuk said to himself as if Taekwoon wasn't present. He seemed to retreat into himself again and Taekwoon wasn't sure if he could get any more out of his charge. 

"Hyukkie, come back…" Taekwoon coaxed and snapped again. Hyuk looked a little spooked when he came back this time, but shook his head to clear it and with a small smile scampered away to his room to change out of his PJ's. It was as if he had completely reset and was back to being Taekwoon's energetic kid.

"Weird…I'll never get used to that." Taekwoon mumbled under his breath. 

. . .


End file.
